


Disaster Orphan

by kikabennet



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alexander Hamilton Being an Asshole, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Anxiety, Astraphobia, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bratty Kids, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Foster Care, Gen, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, Hurricanes & Typhoons, Jamilton - Freeform, Lams - Freeform, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Modern AU, Multi, Orphans, Parent-Child Relationship, Recreational Drug Use, hamiliza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-08 02:34:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14095206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikabennet/pseuds/kikabennet
Summary: Thirteen year old Alexander just survived a massive hurricane. He is sent to the states to be the next foster child of George and Martha Washington. He does not want new parents or siblings. He wants to go home, but maybe, just maybe he can make this a home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It was bound to happen. I was bound to write Hamilton fanfiction. This makes a lot of connections to things happening to day since it is a modern au, but I will not name anything so it can still kind of be 'timeless' in a way, but you'll understand who and what I'm talking about. I would love feedback, especially if you have any ideas for me or would like to correct my Spanish or French. Thanks!

Alexander scowled as the little hot gold car pulled up to the house. He was tired. He was cranky. He missed his mother, but most of all, he missed his home. The hurricane had devastated the island. Alexander had never seen so much damage. So many downed wires and broken glass and people huddled together waiting for food and aid. People he saw everyday working hard to run restaurants and stores and go out to their fishing boats. After the storm, some had started to act like wild animals, breaking into buildings and stealing things. Gun fire had rang out in the night. Others had turned their homes into shelters, even those whose floors were wet from water damage and made their houses stink. Nobody had power and the air was uncomfortably thick and warm. A US territory with no aid from the US. The island had felt betrayed and the people had turned. 

Still. Alexander didn't want to leave. He wanted things to be the same. He wanted to hear the joyous, belly-laughs and hollers of the fisherman returning. The smell of palates and asopao wafting from the small cafe next door where the fun, but odd couple Mr. and Mrs. Baez always had food for Alexander and his mother, even when they couldn't pay for it. When Alexander's mother fell ill and could no longer work, neighbors from every corner brought them food and helped with odd jobs around the apartment and made sure Alexander went to school and did his homework. 

His father had never been around much. A fisherman who always seemed more interested in being out at sea than at home, Mr. Hamilton took joy in bringing his wife down (wife by common law marriage at that because he had never actually asked her to marry him). He teased her about her cooking, her sewing skills, her housekeeping. Alexander hadn't known until he was a little older, but his mother did prostitution on the side just to keep food on the table because his father hardly sent money home. Alexander, when he was little, used to climb in bed with her, purposely trying to wrap his arms and legs around her like an octopus, because he knew when he fell asleep she would get up and go to her "night job" so he wanted to wake up to tell her goodbye, or maybe beg her to stay. He never woke until she was gone, and would get up and get himself ready for school. Alone.

Mr. Hamilton had never treated Alexander much like a son either so Alexander had never missed him. He acted like Alexander was his seedy drinking buddy, always drunk and telling him things he wasn't old enough to understand. He would say dirty things about Mrs. Hamilton and laugh about it, staring at Alexander like he was stupid because he  _didn't_ laugh with him. He talked about women like they were toys to be played with and told Alexander to never settle for one. He talked about settling down and raising his kids like it was the lowest of the low for men. 

When Mrs. Hamilton was diagnosed with the illness that took her life, on Alexander's tenth birthday, it had already been eighteen months since he'd seen his father, and he never saw him again. A deep, dark part of Alexander secretly hoped the hurricane had taken his father's fishing boat under. it was the part of him where he pushed his most horrible secrets down in his heart, like how he longed to be horrid to his mother when she stayed in bed all day. Alexander knew she was weak and couldn't get up, but he was so lonely and it was almost unbearable when she would tell him to keep it down because she was "resting". 

Now, pulling up to the large, three story house with a little flower bed up front and cobble stone steps leading up to the front door, Alexander wanted nothing more than to be by his mother's side, tending to her and stroking her hair. He would never think such horrible thoughts again if it could bring her back. 

"You must be exhausted!" Ms. Ross said, opening the passenger door for him. 

Alexander knew the plump, rosey-cheeked pink woman meant well, but his social worker was beyond annoying. She was like a nanny straight from a story book. Sometimes he expected her to break out into song and dance. 

"Flying all the way from the Caribbean and then taking that long trade ride and spending two nights in a hotel," she chirped, trying to take his single worn duffel bag but he grabbed it first. "You must be ready to be home."

"'s not my home," he muttered, walking ahead of her, dragging his feet to the door.

A lot of the children from the island had been shipped over to the states. Rich people here, he'd heard, loved to foster disaster orphans like himself, coddle them and show them off to their other rich friends so they could beam with pride as everyone praised them for being so charitable until they grew bored with them and dumped them into "the system", whatever that was. 

Alexander was one of those disaster orphans. Ms. Ross had informed him that he was going to be fostered by Mr. and Mrs. Washington, who apparently had a house full of other reject children. Alexander had begged his social worker back on the island to let him stay. He had even started crying, which was humiliating at  his age, but she had simply told him he was going to have a better chance. 

Before Ms. Ross could jog over and knock, a woman opened it. She was tall and slender with dark brown skin and a short haircut that made Alexander think she should also be holding a pie, maybe feeding a bluebird on her shoulder. Her neat dress and heels didn't help the situation. 

"Hello," she said in a smooth voice, taking his hand, not waiting for him to extend it. "You must be Alexander."

"Hello!" Ms. Ross said, scooting up next to him. They shook hands next.

"I'm Martha," the woman said. "We've been talking about you so much. Come in, both of you."

From the outside, the house looked like a house used in a television series. The kind where families worked out their problems and nobody got their ass whooped with a shoe or popped in the mouth for saying swear words. The inside told a different story. It wasn't dirty or messy by any means, but it was definitely cluttered. There was a shoe cubby next to the front door with shoes piled lazily everywhere except the cubby holes. There were magazines and books on the coffee table. The television was playing loudly, some kind of sports game, and somewhere nearby Alexander could hear voices talking loudly. 

"We don't wear shoes in the house," Martha said, delicately removing her heels and placing them in one of the cubby holes. "I know this place looks like a mess, but if we wore shoes, we'd be kicking up dust."

Ms. Ross let out a hearty laugh and Martha chuckled polietly.

Alexander toed off his too-big sneakers and squatted down to stuff them in one of the cubby holes. He was suddenly embarrassed because he was not wearing matching socks and one of them had a hold in the heel. Martha didn't seem to take notice or if she did, she said nothing about it. 

"Let me get the boys," she said and then called, "BOYS!"

"NO!" Someone called back and then there was an eruption of laughter.

Martha sighed, shaking her head.

"They can be a handful," she said. "NOW!"

Alexander watched as three boys around his age, maybe a little older, piled into the parlor, practically tripping over one another. One of them was tall, as tall as Martha, with brown skin and wild hair pulled into a ponytail that stuck on the top of his head like a poof ball. The other boy with dark skin was almost as tall but built like a bear. Alexander guessed he might play football as he was wearing a jersey and piece of cloth tied around his head like he was the Karate Kid or something. The other boy was only slightly taller than Alex and a little lighter in complexion with freckles splashed across his face like someone had thrown paint on him. His thick curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail but fly away hairs were springing up all around his face. He had braces on his teeth, Alexander noticed, as the boy grinned at him.

"Gilbert," Martha said, reaching up to touch the tallest boy's head. "Hercules, and John."

"We call him 'Laf'," Hercules said. "He hates being called Gilbert."

Gilbert-or Laf said something that sounded like complete gibberish to Alexander and his brows furrowed slightly as the others laughed at whatever it was. He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone.

"Um, what are you doing with this?" Martha asked, yanking a handheld gaming device out of Hercules' hand. "You're not done being grounded."

"Aww, man!" Hercules whined, sounding like a rhinoceros as he huffed and pouted. "I was at the last level!"

"You shouldn't 'ave brought in here," Laf said, and Alexander realized he had a French accent. "You should 'ave kept it in your room."

"Don't give him ideas," Martha said. To Alexander she said, "These are your foster brothers."

To his 'foster brothers', she said, "I want you all to make Alexander feel welcome. You know how scary it was when you first came here."

John nodded vigorously while Hercules and Laf argued about the Gameboy. Martha smiled warmly at Alexander and said, "John will show you to your room. I'm making chicken enchiladas for dinner, okay?"

With that, she gracefully left the room. Alexander was secretly happy for that. He didn't care for nosy grown ups who stuck around with nothing to do. On the other hand, he was now in unfamiliar territory, with unfamiliar boys his age, in a house that was more theirs than his. Maybe he wanted Martha to stick around.

"You'll share a room with me," John said. "The only one who gets his own room is Aaron because he's the oldest."

"He's a snitch is what he is," Hercules muttered as they all traveled upstairs. 

" 'ees a, ow you say? butt licker."

"Kisser," John corrected him. "And yeah, he is."

They didn't stop on the second floor, but the third floor. John's room was the last room at the end of the hall. He opened the door and Alexander's heart jumped a little as he saw the window opened to a tiny balcony like some kind of castle window. Next to it was a large tree with dark brown bark and branches that begged to be climbed. Next to the window, against the wall, was a set of bunk beds. John awkwardly pointed up at the top one.

"I can't sleep on the top," he said. "I always wake up in the middle of the night to pee, but I'm only, like, half awake and I fall off."

Alexander tossed his duffel onto the bed before climbing on himself, letting his feet dangle over the edge. John didn't mention his mismatched socks with the hole in them either.

"Mom told us your ma died," he said finally. "The storm got her?"

Alexander shook his head.

"She was sick," he said. 

"My mom was sick too," John said quietly. "Your old man?"

Alexander shrugged.

"I wish," John said with a soft snort, sitting on the bottom bunk. "Mine used to beat me. My ma too."

"So they stuck you here?" Alexander guessed. "After your mom died?"

"They stuck me in here after the police were tired of catching me," John said collapsing with a sigh. "Hercules too. We used to run these streets, Son."

Alexander smiled a little, picking at a loose thread on his oversized hoodie. He was glad John couldn't see him.

"Laf came over here like you," he said. "His parents died in France. He had an aunt here who said she'd take care of him, but she and her husband got into a fight and killed each other. He had nowhere to go after that. They were gonna ship him back, but Mom and Dad, they took a shine to him quick."

"I could've taken care of myself," Alexander said, hopping down. "I did the whole time my mom was sick."

"They're good people," John said, sitting up. "They really care about us. They want to adopt me, but my dad won't sign papers. They wanna adopt Herc and Laf too, but no one can prove that Laf doesn't have any living family and Herc's ma's still alive. She's just missing in action somewhere."

"Adopt you? Like keep you?" Alexander frowned skeptically.

John nodded.

"They couldn't get paid anymore by the state, but they're rich anyway. All of the money they make on us- Dad told me that's barely enough to give us an allowance. They pay outta pocket for stuff we need and want."

"They won't adopt me," Alexander said stubbornly. "I don't even plan to be here that long."

John grinned. Alexander frowned.

"Self-protective," John said, pointing a finger at him. "I've been there. We've all been there."

Before Alexander could protest, a loud rap song came on and John pulled a phone from his pocket. 

"Angie, girl, " he said, grinning. "Talk to me."

He rolled over onto his stomach and Alexander took that as his cue to leave. He left the room, feeling weird walking around in just socks, and heard Laf and Hercules hooting and hollering from a nearby room. The door was opened slightly and Alexander peeked in, tucking some long hair behind his ears. 

"Hey!" Hercules said, catching his eye. "Come in!"

Alexander went inside. 

"We are playing...it's called what, Herc?"

"Dungeons and Dragons," Hercules said. "We're prepping for the campaign."

 Alexander wanted to laugh at them for being such nerds, but he was more surprised than anything else. Hercules looked like the kind of kid who would sniff out D&D players and beat the shit out of them. Laf picked up a bag of spicy Doritos and offered them to Alexander, who was hungry.

"Mom, she told us what happened to you," he said. "I'm sorry."

Alexander shrugged, burying the sting in his chest along with those dark thoughts. "Hurricanes happen."

He sat down on the floor beside them.

"Man, how old are you?" Hercules asked bluntly, which made Alexander stop in mid chew.

"Thirteen" Alexander said. "I'll be fourteen in three months."

"You're tiny!" Hercules said, grinning and shaking his head. "I thought you were ten or eleven."

"A fifth grader," Laf said, nodding matter of factly. 

"Well I'm not," Alexander said hotly. 

"That's good, Man," Hercules said. "Same age as us."

"We have kitty magazines," Laf said with a slow smile.

Alexander's brows furrowed as he ate another chip.

"Man, talkin' bout 'kitty' magazines! Speak English, Bruh! TITTY magazines!" Hercules told him.

Alexander actually laughed this time. 

"Titty," Laf repeated quietly. "Titty magazines."

"What'chu call 'em on the island?" Hercules asked.

"Chichis," Alexander told them, licking cheese powder off of his fingers. He shrugged and added, "Or tetas."

"Muy grande tetas!" Hercules said, puffing out his chest like he had boobs, fondling imaginary ones. 

Alexander grinned a little and said, "No. Las tetas grandes." 

A knock sounded on the doorframe and all of the boys turned to see a large man with light brown skin and not a single hair on his head. He was so tall that he blocked the light of the hallway. He was dressed in a suit, and he was removing his suit jacket. 

"Are ya'll in here talking dirty?" He asked, grinning.

"Alexander's teaching us Spanish," Hercules said. 

Alexander suddenly felt very sheepish. He had never seen such a tall man before so close. The man smiled at the newcomer and Alexander stood up. Hadn't he already mentally decided that he would be disobedient and bratty and so horrible that they would have no choice but to ship him back to the island?

"Hello, Alexander," The man said, extending his hand. "I'm George."

Alexander shook his head. 

"Interesting socks you have on," he said. "Gilbert? Hercules? You didn't offer him a pair of socks?"

"Look at his feet, Pop!" Hercules said, reorganizing the gameboard. "My socks aren't gonna fit on his little paws."

Alexander turned red at that, but George gave a warning look to Hercules and said, "We'll take you shopping for clothes tomorrow. John's socks will probably fit you." 

Alexander hoped would leave then and go mind his own business like Martha had, but to his horror, George lumbered around the trio of preteens and sat on the bottom bunk, his hand folded in front of him. 

"Getting ready for the campaign?" He asked.

"Yessir," Hercules said, nodding and then went off on a slew of nerd-talk. Alexander couldn't believe it. George looked like the kind of man who would never let his children be nerds.

"Alexander?" His gentle voice sounded.

Alexander looked at him.

"Do you play Dungeons and Dragons?" He asked.

Alexander shook his head.

"These can play for hours," George said. "Sometimes they host big Dungeons and Dragons parties. Shouldn't Aaron be here? Isn't he your dungeon leader?"

"Master," Laf corrected him. "He's got choir practice."

Choir too? Alexander thought. Shouldn't all of these kids be in sports? His own father would have disowned him if he'd found out Alexander played nerdy board games and sang in the choir. He might actually just roll another joint and say, 'what else could go wrong?'

"You two play nice," George said jokingly and then said, "Alexander, come with me."

Alexander wanted to stick to his plan and be defiant, but his feet carried him out the door anyway. George led them to a study on the second floor that was decorated with medals and black and white war photographs. There was a glass case on the wall filled with what looked like artifacts. On the desk were pictures of Laf, John, and Hercules. There was one of Martha too.

"I know this is a big transition," George said, closing the door which made Alex feel trapped. He gestured to a chair and sat in the big cushy one on wheels opposite of it. "It can be frightening."

"I'm a big guy," Alexander muttered, remembering Laf and Hercules admitting to thinking he was a little kid. 

George smiled and said, "You wanna hear a secret? I'm a big guy too, and even I need help sometimes."

"I've taken care of myself since my mom got sick," Alexander said. "I don't need help."

"You might want it, though," George said. "When John and Hercules came here, they were like two little wild hooligans running around here, driving Martha and I crazy."

Alexander picked at his hoodie again.

"It wasn't until one night that I finally laid in on those boys, really came down on them, that they knew I cared about them," George said. "Now, don't be scared. Don't think I'm the big bad wolf. You may not even be a bad kid. You seem like a pretty decent kid, but I'm not a foster parent."

Alexander looked at him.

"I took those boys in because I wanted to, because I needed to, and I want you too," he said. "It'll be tricky at first, because we don't know each other, but this isn't my home. This is your home."

Alexander frowned.

"But it is your home," he said.

"It's our home," George said, patting his knee. "And soon enough you'll see that."

\----------

Dinner was loud and kind of fun, Alexander decided. Martha served chicken enchiladas that weren't very authentic but they tasted good. He figured he might teach her how to make rice later because he was never choking down this fake instant Mexican rice again. Alexander had never had iced tea and nearly gagged when he took a sip. It was like maple syrup you put on pancakes. 

"You okay?" George asked and Alexander beat his chest, pretending he'd choked on an ice cube.

"Where is Aaron?" Martha asked. "That boy knows when dinner is served."

"Probably off with his girlfriend," John grinned, braces shining. 

"Girlfriend?" George asked, taking a huge bite of food. "Since when?"

"Since the theatre and choir department are working together to put on 'The Sound of Music'," Hercules said. "She's playing a nun."

"We hear about her all ze time," Laf said. "Nun number seven."

"Aaron is too young to have a girlfriend," Martha said, frowning. "He's only fifteen."

She sat down next to Alexander and smiled at him. He tried to smile back.

"Look at this pretty hair," she said, pulling some hair away from his face. 

All of the social workers had talked about how raggedy he looked and his long hair, but he refused to cut it. Cutting his hair meant he was really giving in. It meant that he was really part of the system. 

"John, Baby," Martha said, standing up to move behind Alexander. "Give me that ponytail holder on your wrist."

John, cheeks stuffed with enchiladas, stood up and leaned across the table to give it to her. She gathered Alexander's hair up gently and twisted and folded it into a messy bun. He looked a lot like Laf and John now, he realized.

"You boys and your hair," George said, chuckling and shaking your head.

"He only started shaving his head because he was going bald," Martha told them affectionately. 

"Might as well just get rid of all of it," George said. 

Alex gingerly fingered his bun. He did feel better, not having hair in his face. He also secretly felt better that the Washingtons did not seem to mind a boy with long hair. 

"For dessert," Martha said. "I made a Tres Leches cake."

Alexander knew the Latin-esque meal was for him, and even though it tasted just 'okay', he was filled with a warm, funny feeling about it. They knew he was coming from a far away place with different food and had tried to bring that to their table. To make him feel comfortable.

"Is that what you eat on the island?" Hercules asked.

Alexander nodded.

"What's your favorite dessert?" Martha asked. "We'll make it tomorrow."

"Tembleque," Alexander replied and then had to explain what it was. 

Martha and George and all three boys seemed interested in what he was saying. Not just listening politely, but actually listening. 

\---------

"Hey, guys." 

Alexander sat up from lying down on the top bunk when someone opened the door. An older boy with dark skin and hair cropped close to his scalp. He wasn't dressed in hoodies and t-shirts and jeans like the others, but a nice collar shirt and slacks. He looked like a lawyer or something.

"Hey, Burr," John drawled, not sitting up, playing on his phone. "Sirrrrr."

Aaron rolled his eyes and smiled. "Stop."

"How's what's-her-face?" John asked. "Nun number 7?"

"Theodosia," Aaron said. He looked up at Alexander. "Oh, hey. You must be Alexander."

"Alejandro," John said in an exaggerated accent.

"I actually found out some bad news," Aaron said, picking up a shirt from the floor. He smelled it and made a face. John pointed to the clothes hamper a foot away. Aaron dropped it back on the floor.

"She has a boyfriend, a senior," Aaron said. 

"Ooh...." John replied. "Uh oh."

"But we've already been going together. She told me she already plans to break up with him when he graduates. She doesn't want to stir up any trouble."

"Sounds like she's too late for that." John sat up. "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know," Aaron said. "I can't talk to Dad. He'll tell me to walk away from the situation."

Alexander pretended not to listen, but it was hard because he did not own a phone. Not even a book. He had nothing but clothes to pretend to be interested in.

"Anyway, I'm going to bed," Aaron said. "I have to go meet her before school."

"Sneakin' around," John said and this time Aaron picked up the dirty shirt and threw it at him.

"Nice to meet you, Alexander," Aaron said. "Welcome to Fort Washington. Insane Asylum."

"Oh, he knows we're nuts," John said, getting up to dispose of the shirt in the hamper. He smiled up at Alexander. Alexander couldn't help but smile back a little.

After Aaron left, John said, "Hercules and Laf probably won't go, but I'll tag along with you and Mom tomorrow to buy you clothes."

Alexander nodded. 

"You can relax here,"  John said. "New place, new man."

That made Alexander feel better. John had not asked if he was younger than he really was. He had called him a man. After a while, John got up to turn the lights off and wriggled out of his jeans before climbing into bed. Alexander did the same on his top bunk, throwing his balled up jeans at the foot. 

"Alex?" John asked, almost timidly, like he was testing the nickname.

"Yeah?" Alex replied, rolling over onto his stomach.

"What was the storm like?" John asked.

Alex rested his cheek against the pillow.

"Everyone had been prepping for it," he said. "But we have storms a lot so nobody was really worried. When it actually hit, it was loud and shook my whole house. The restaurant next door-I heard the roof come off. I heard the power go out. There was thunder and lightning and then water came into the house..." he said, shuddering at the horrifying memory.

"And your ma?" John asked, sounding sleepy.

"I kept checking on her," Alex lied.

The truth was, he had climbed into bed with her and covered his face with a pillow. She had been far too gone on pain meds to be bothered by the storm. 

"I saw pictures and stuff on the news," John said. "I'm sorry, Man. it looked awful."

"It was," Alex said. 

He didn't tell John about the two dead bodies he saw the next morning. Fisherman who were trying to save their boats. He didn't tell him about walking aimlessly through the damage trying to get help for his mother because she had fallen into a coma-like stupor only making moaning noises and he had been terrified, not knowing how to help her. 

"Can you not sleep?" John asked.

"I'm fine," Alex lied. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept without waking up with fitful jerks only to lie awake for several hours.

John got out of bed and went to one of the dresser drawers, pulling something out. He motioned for Alex to follow him onto the small balcony. The air was chilly and Alexander rubbed at his bare legs, tugging at his boxers as if he could pull them down like pants.

John handed him a joint and Alex put it in his mouth. Marijuana was nothing new to him, but he had never actually smoked it himself. John lit it for him and Alex took a drag, coughing hard as he passed it over. John grinned.

"You don't smoke," he said.

Alex shook his head.

"Just breathe then," John said. "It'll relax you."

"Does Washington know about this?" Alex asked.

"No," John said. 

"I won't tell," Alex said, breathing in the smoke coming from John's mouth deeply, hoping it would get him high. 

"I know," John said. "I actually don't do this a lot. Aaron does, but I don't."

He passed the joint over again with an encouraging nod and said, "It'll help you sleep. Helps with the nightmares."

Alex nodded, not even bothering to say he didn't have nightmares. John seemed to just...understand. He took a long, deep drag this time and let it out slowly.

"Good boy," John said, smiling. "Hey, how do you feel about civil rights? Minorities? Cops shooting black people and stuff?"

"I saw it on the news a lot," Alex said. "It's unfair. Really unfair."

"Girls are treated unfair too," John said. "And you. US territories. This country needs to change, Man."

"Aren't you thirteen?" Alex asked, feeling warm and fuzzy in a different way now. Looser. Sleepier. 

"I want to grow up and change things," John said. "Black lives matters, immigration, women's rights, school shootings..."

"Me too," Alex said. 

"The Schuyler sisters want to meet you too," John said. "You'll like them."

"Do they live here too?" Alex asked.

"No." John shook his head. "Their dad practically owns the town, but they're not stuck up or anything. They're really nice."

"Angelica's in high school like Burr, but she skipped a grade," he said. "Eliza's our age. She's sweet. Peggy's only eleven, but she's a firecracker."

He looked at Alex again, passing the joint and asked, "Do you like girls?"

"Not really," Alex said. "I mean, I don't know. I don't think about that much."

"No, but, you know?" John asked. "Do you  _like_ girls?"

Alex shrugged. "I guess. I don't know many girls."

John nodded and said nothing else. 

\--------------

Alex slept better than he had in months and got up early when it was still dark to go to the bathroom. He ran right into George, who was coming out of the bathroom. Did this man really go all the way to third story of the house to use the bathroom, Alexander thought. He felt weird just standing there, especially since George was only wearing a striped pair of pajama pants and nothing else.

"I was just checking on you guys," George said, tousling the boy's hair as he headed back downstairs. 

Alex went to the bathroom to pee and when he came out, he went downstairs too. The walls were lined with photographs of the boys and they looked like a real family. He went to the kitchen for the first time and stared at the fridge. More photos. School papers. A dry-erase calendar littered with reminders. He opened the door and saw a variety of tupperware containers carefully labeled, milk, soymilk, orange juice, leftover tres leches cake (not good cake either), vegetables, fruit. He took out the milk and quietly moved around looking for cereal. 

The cabinets that held dishes were up super high and he had to climb on the counter to get them. 

"Need help?"

He almost fell off when George came into the kitchen and got him a bowl. 

"A little four am snack?" He asked. 

Alex started to apologize, but no words came out. George moved to a cupboard and talk out a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. He silently handed it to Alex. 

"I get up early to go run," he explained, as if Alexander had asked. "You're always welcome to join me. The boys do sometimes, but not often. They're lazy potatoes."

"I like to run," Alex said, returning the milk to the fridge. He sat at the kitchen bar instead of steel and glass kitchen table. How many sitting areas did these people need? A bar and two tables? Alex was almost impressed.

"I read some of your writings," George said. "Your social worker sent them. You like to write too?"

Ms. Ross had sent his school work? 

Dread suddenly filled his stomach. Oh no....

"You wrote our president," George said, sitting down across from him. "About the unfairness of how he was handling the island recovery."

Alex lost his appetite.

"I was impressed." George said. "Your writing is passionate, it's fierce, but it's...it's you."

"It's me?" Alex asked, squinting slightly. He didn't understand.

"I felt like I was really hearing your voice speak those words. You're a great speaker."

He grinned when he said that, half joking.

"I just wish because the island is a territory-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me," George said. "I work for the government, I know how it is."

Alex took his first bite of cereal. It was soggy now.

"How about after you eat that we go for a run?" George asked. "Get to know each other."

Alex nodded.

\---------

After he ate his cereal, he went upstairs and realized he had no running clothes. Only jeans. John roused slightly and asked what he was doing.

"Wash-George asked if I wanted to go run with him," he answered. 

"I have some compression shorts in that drawer," John said with a yawn. "Use those."

"Thanks," Alex said, getting them out. He pulled his hair into a bun, realizing it wasn't as comfortable as Martha had done it up, but he'd live. At least it wasn't in his face.

He met George downstairs. The man smiled at him.

"There's a nearby park," he said. "Great jogging trails."

 

 

 

To Be Continued...

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Alex felt good after his run. It had been a long time since he'd felt good. As he and George entered the house, he knew that he was sweaty and smelled bad and was tracking bits of wet grass and dirt into the entryway before the parlor, but he still felt good. It just felt good to be sweaty and out of breath.

"Look at you," Martha said as she walked up to greet them, cupping Alex's cheek. She didn't seem to mind the dirt and grass.

It was still early, but Martha was dressed with perfect hair and makeup. Alex couldn't even imagine her in pajamas or with bedhead. George kissed her on the lips and said, "Think I finally found a running buddy."

He patted Alex's shoulder and called loudly, "Unlike some lazy bones who'd rather play video games!"

"LOVE YOU TOO, POP!" Hercules yelled from upstairs and there was an explosion of laughter. 

George sighed and Martha laughed. She pushed some of Alex's sweaty hair away from his face and said, "Go and take a shower and I'll make breakfast."

Alex did as he was told, taking the steps two at a time as he bounded upstairs. He slowed to a stop as he passed the room that Hercules and Laf shared. The door was closed and he could hear the sounds of a loud video game, laughing, and swearing. He wanted to knock, to ask what they were doing, to ask if he could join them, but he didn't. He continued on to the room he shared with John. 

John was still asleep, face down on the bottom bunk, his blankets off of the bed and the fitted sheet coming from the mattress. Alex peeled off his damp shirt and wriggled out of the running running shorts. John stirred and raised his head with a yawn.

" 'stink, Bro," he said.

"I went running," Alex said, toeing off his shoes and standing on one foot to peel off sweaty socks. 

John gave him a kind of half smile and put his head back down. Alex didn't know what to do with his dirty clothes so he just piled them next to the duffel he'd brought with him. He continued to the shower and on the way, Aaron was coming out of his room. He chuckled at Alex. 

"George took you running," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yeah," Alex said. 

Aaron was dressed in a nice collar shirt that was tucked into some nice slacks. He was holding a backpack. He ruffled Alex's hair and then realized his mistake, making a half grimace and wiped his wet hand on the side of his pants. Alex heard him go downstairs and heard Martha ask, "Where are you going this early, Aaron?"

"The library," Aaron said. 

There was silence from Hercules and Laf's room and then Alex heard Hercules say, "He lyin'" followed by uncontrollable laughter.

"Ze library!" Laf snorted. 

Alex smiled even though he was not a part of the joke, and went into the shower. The bathroom was enormous and surprisingly clean for who used it-a slew of boys and sometimes their foster father. Alex stared at himself in the mirror. His face was flushed against his tanned skin and his ponytail was hardly a ponytail anymore. He realized, suddenly, that he did look younger than the others. He was smaller, skinnier, and he covered his upper body self-consciously. 

When he got out, he traveled back to the room he shared with John in a plush towel that he'd wrapped around his waist. It dragged on the floor. John was still in bed, but on his back, texting on his phone. He glanced at Alex and said, "You can wear some of my clothes. We're almost the same size."

Alex was glad he didn't say something like 'I'm only a little bit taller than you' or 'Just roll up the bottoms of my jeans'.

Alex dropped the towel and changed. The pants were a little loose and the legs were kind of long, but they would do. John sat up and said, "Martha wants to take you shopping for clothes today."

\----

Breakfast, like dinner, was a family affair. Everyone sat at the table. Everyone talked and laughed and told stories. They passed around a platter of eggs and bacon and toast and grapefruit halves. Alex listened to them talk, feeling like an outsider once more. He nursed a glass of orange juice and looked longingly at George and Martha's coffee, his breakfast of choice, but was too shy to ask for some. Hercules and Laf and John teased one another and George teased all of them. Martha seemed to take notice of Alex's silence.

"After breakfast we're going shopping for clothes," she said. 

To the other boys she said, "You all can come along."

"Aw! Mom, we were gonna go down to the court," Hercules said. "Those dudes from the other side of the river think they're better ball players than us."

"We will sweep the court with them!" Laf said.

"Man, learn English," Hercules told him. "Wipe the court."

"Wipe the court with them," Laf said, never faltering in his previous confidence. 

"Boys!" Martha said, but not sharply. More like a disappointed tone. 

"I'll go," John said. "Then after I'm stealin' Alex. The Schuylers wanna meet him."

"How are the young ladies?" George asked, mopping up some runny egg with a piece of toast.

Martha sighed and said, "That's fine."

\-------

After breakfast, the three boys stampeded upstairs, tripping over one another. Alex hung back and silently helped George and Martha collect dishes. George smiled at him as if to say 'what a good boy'.

"Oh, Alexander," Martha told him. "You don't have to help."

Alex only shrugged. Martha didn't chase him away and he set the dishes in the sink. George and Martha made small talk about work and charities and the upcoming school year and Alex enjoyed listening to them. He enjoyed listening to them so much that he blurted out, "May I have some coffee?"

George and Martha looked at him. He suddenly felt awkward, like he shouldn't have asked.

"Dearest, of course you may," Martha said, wiping her soapy hands on her skirt and placing them on either side of his face. "This is your home too."

"You never have to ask," George reminded him. 

Martha poured him a cup and he moved to sit at the table. 

"We have almond creamer in the fridge," Martha said.

Alex took his coffee black. It was weaker than he preferred, but it tasted good. George sat in the chair next to him, turning it sideways so their knees were almost touching. 

"That was a good run this morning," he said. 

\-----------

When Alex finally made it upstairs, he had the bedroom to himself. John was in the room next door with the other boys. He sat on John's bed because he didn't feel like climbing onto his own and took something out of the side pocket of his duffel. A photograph. The only photograph left of his mother that had survived after the storm. She'd always joked that it was her favorite picture because Alex had taken it. Of course, he'd been a baby and hadn't intentionally taken the picture, but he'd been holding the cheap, disposable camera, flapping his arms around because he was at the age where babies grabbed at everything and had accidentally taken a picture. It really was nice. His mother was holding him, and smiling. Not a 'smile and say cheese' smile, but a real in love with her son smile. Alex was also in the picture, in her arms, a small skinny baby with dark hair and eyes, looking at her, about to smile. 

"That your ma?"

He hadn't even heard John come in. 

"Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath.

John sat beside him.

"She's pretty."

"She was," Alex said quietly.

"You look like her," John told him.

"Everyone says I look like my dad," Alex said, trying not to make a face. "They say I have his nose. And his build."

"I look like my dad too," John said. "He was a piece of shit, but my mom said his good looks is what made her fall for him, so I guess I'm at least handsome."

Alex managed a half smile. 

 

\-------

Alex was glad John went with him to get clothes. Martha kept picking out shirts with collars and buttons, slacks, and sweater vests. John argued with her, affectionately, and added t-shirts and jeans and shorts and sneakers. When they got to the register, he was shocked by the total. It didn't even seem like they'd bought that much. Martha, unphased, handed the cashier her card and played around on her phone. 

After, the three of them went to the food court. Martha got a slice of pizza and a salad. Alex and John got Chinese. 

"How are the boys treating you?" Martha asked, nibbling on her pizza. 

Alex shrugged. "Fine."

"They really are, Mom," John said.

"Jackie, you watch out for him, you hear me?" Martha said and John nodded.

Jackie, Alex thought. He liked that nickname.

Martha continued, "Now, Alexander. We need to make an appointment for you to see a physician and a dentist and a psychologist."

Alex frowned. "A what?"

"A head doc," John said. "She's really big into therapy."

"It helped you, Jackie," Martha said. "Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," John said, blushing behind his freckles.  

Martha started to say something else, but her cell phone rang suddenly and she held up a finger and mouthed, 'It's Dad'.

"Hey, Honey," she said. She stood up and walked a few feet away.

"She likes you a lot," John said. 

Alex said nothing. He just stabbed a piece of emerald chicken onto his plastic fork. 

"Dad likes you too," John said. 

"And I have to see a psychologist?" Alex asked.

John shrugged one shoulder.

"It really did help talking to someone," he said. "It made a lot of sense to tell them stuff that you couldn't tell other people. I used to think my dad beat my mom because of me. Because I-because of stuff."

Martha returned to the table with a sad, dramatic sigh.

"Dad has to go to DC," she said, sitting back down. "He was calling to make sure it was alright. He didn't want to leave Alex so suddenly."

Alex blinked. 

"Me?" He asked. He'd met the man yesterday.

"You'll be missing out on bonding time," she said matter of factly. 

"We gotta go meet Angie," John said. "They're upstairs at the ice cream shop."

"Okay," Martha said. "Be safe, Sweetheart."

She gestured for him to come over and gave him a kiss. She then stood up and moved around the table to kiss Alex, brushing some of his hair back. When she was gone, John stood up with his trash and Alex followed suit. The two of them took the shopping center elevator and Alex followed John to a fancy looking dessert shop with red circular tables and stools. Every table had a shiny silver napkin dispenser on it. 

There were three girls sitting at one of the tables already. One of them waved the boys over.  She hugged John and kissed his cheek. The other two were eyeballing Alex from head to toe.

"Alexander," John said, pointing to each of the girls. "The Schuyler sisters. Angelica. Eliza."

"And Peggy," the youngest one said, popping bubble gum. She looked irritated that he'd forgotten her.

"And Peggy," he said. 

Angelica was tall and thin with a mane of dark curls and was wearing bright red lipstick. Alex thought she was pretty. He hardly ever thought that about girls, or anyone. Eliza was pretty too, with straight hair and dark eyes that were mild and sharp looking at the same time. She didn't have obvious breasts like Angelica, which Alex found himself staring at in her low-cut shirt, but she had a beautiful smile and her teeth were so white they almost looked painted. Peggy was obviously still a child while her sisters were obviously developing into women. She had a chubby face, but a skinny body and was wearing a baseball cap over a mess of light-colored curls. 

"You're cute," Angelica told him. 

Alex smiled for real this time, biting his bottom lip. Was he actually nervous around a girl? 

"Can we order our ice cream now?" Peggy asked, sounding impatient. 

"It's on us," Angelica said, smiling. "Did John tell you we're rich?"

John smiled at Alexander.

"They're rich," he joked.

Angelica and John ordered strawberry cones. Peggy ordered a chocolate. Eliza ordered a vanilla. Alex ordered Mexican vanilla. Eliza changed her order to Mexican vanilla. They all sat down to eat their ice cream cones. Peggy's dripped faster than she could eat it and Angelica reached over with a napkin to wipe her face. 

"I can do it," she said. 

"So, Alexander," Angelica said, ignoring her sister's attitude. "How is the land that normalcy forgot?"

John smiled. 

"She thinks she's so smart because she's in high school," he said.

"She  _is_ smart," Eliza said, smiling at her sister. "She's a genius."

"But I'm only fourteen," Angelica said. "I skipped a grade. Third. It was too easy."

She continued, "But I regret it now. When I'm a senior, I'll be too young to do anything fun."

"Angelica's a writer," Eliza said, beaming in the praise she was giving to her sister as if it were her own. "She's written speeches that have been used in women's rights rallies. One was even published in a journal."

"Are you a writer, Alexander?" Angelica asked.

Alex shrugged. 

"I know a writer when I see one," she said. "Did you ever publish anything?"

"A poem," Alex said. 

"You write poetry?" Angelica seemed intrigued.

"I love poetry," Eliza said, her eyes lighting up. She dropped her cone and turned pink. 

John dutifully helped her to clean it up. Alex offered her his. 

"I wrote a poem back on the island," he said. "My teacher had asked if he could submit to a journal that was having a contest. I told him yes, but only if he didn't use my name."

John's eyebrows went up. Angelica was giving him a knowing smile. Eliza was giving him a genuinely impressed smile. Peggy rolled her eyes and continued attacking her ice cream cone.

"Did you win?" Eliza asked, her dark eyes big and glittering and intense. 

Alex shrugged. "Yeah."

"But your name wasn't on it?" Peggy frowned. "Lame."

"Everyone on the island was talking about it," Alex said. "That's what my teacher told me. Some professor at the university was looking for the author. My teacher told me I should tell him it was me, but I didn't want to."

"Do you remember it?" Eliza asked. "The poem."

Alex nodded.

"Could we hear it?" John asked.

Alex shook his head, making a face. The girls laughed. 

"Maybe one day," Angelica said, dismissing the subject. She caught Alex's eyes and he turned red and looked away. He looked at Eliza instead, who was smiling at him. She looked away.

\--------

"Ale's popular with the Schuylers," John told the other boys that night as all four of them were crammed into the room Herc and Laf shared. Ale, his newest nickname. He liked how John attempted it with an accent, making it sould like 'Al-ay' instead of 'Al-ee'.

"That Angelica's a live wire," Herc said.

"A toaster in a bathtub," Laf said.

"Nice!" Herc told him and they high-fived.

They were all sitting on the floor, the game of dungeons and dragons before them. Laf and Herc were setting it up. John, who did not play, was just watching. Alex was just happy to have been invited into the room. Martha came in some time later, knocking on the door with her foot. She had two large buckets of chicken and big liter bottles of soda.

"Thanks, Mom!" Herc and Laf said together. 

To Alex, she explained, "Saturday night is boys night. I'm forbidden, of course."

"We still love you," John said, taking out a piece of chicken.

"I want a daughter," Martha said, pretending to make a face.

She then laughed and said, "Well, you boys have fun and don't stay up too late."

Dungeons and Dragons turned out to be incredibly boring and pretty soon John climbed over the others to set up the TV and video game system. Alex joined him. They sat together, sitting cross-legged on the floor, making their two characters fight one another. Alex was terrible at first, but once he started to get the hang of it, he was good. He was great in fact.

"You never played this game?" John asked, biting his bottom lip and getting to his knees as Alex's ninja massacred his.

"I've never played any video games," Alex told him. "My mom didn't let me. I wasn't allowed to watch television either."

"Really?" John asked. "My mom didn't like television. I didn't either, I guess, but I like video games."

"Me too," Alex said, and stood up, hopping up and down like an angry terrier as John's character got a second wind and began beating the shit of Alex's. 

"No!" Alex said. "Nononononono!"

"YEEEEAAAAAHHHH BOY!" John hooted, also standing up.

Herc and Laf turned around to watch. Pretty soon, all of the boys were taking turns playing the video game, each of them having a chance to destroy one of the others. The door opened and Aaron poked his head in.

"It reeks in here," he said. 

"Aaron Burr," Herc said, not even looking at him.

"Sir," Laf finished.

It seemed to be some big inside joke, the 'sir' aspect, but Aaron only rolled his eyes and bent down to peek into the chicken bucket, taking a piece out for himself. He watched the video game, munching on a piece of chicken, instructing Alex to press certain buttons that unlocked a special attack that ended Laf's turn. 

"Don't tell him!" Laf half whined. "You are the worst, Burr."

"How was 'the library'?" John asked, flopping onto the bottom bunk bed. 

"Do any 'reading'?" Herc played along, pretending to fondle imaginary breasts.

"I think I'm going to confront her boyfriend," Aaron said.

The boys fell silent. 

"What?" John frowned.

"I want her more," he said. "I know I do."

Alex decided that he liked Aaron. A lot. He wasn't a man, but he didn't seem to really be a boy either. Alex realized, suddenly, that he respected him. 

\---------

After Aaron sat down to join the boys in their video game party, Alex snuck out to go to the bathroom and then wandered downstairs to find Martha watching television in the living room. He felt bad that she was all alone, nursing a glass of wine. In front of her on the coffee table was a plate with fruit, cheese and coffee cake. 

"Hello," she said, smiling warmly. 

Alex looked at the couch. She patted the spot next to her. He sat. 

"Everything okay?" She asked, kissing him on the cheek.

"Yes," Alex said.

"You're not used to a lot of noise," Martha said, and she was right. 

Alex had grown up in a house with no background noise, no noisy dinners or breakfasts, no loud video game parties. The loudest his house ever became was when his father decided to randomly reappear and his parents would yell in the bedroom. Alex knew it wasn't about his father's absence, it was about his return. It had been a mystery to him, how his mother didn't want him back in the house and yet somehow they would often stumble out of the room in the morning together and silently drink coffee sitting side by side holding hands. His mother had said his father had a way of tricking people with his good looks, especially women, and she wasn't strong enough to always see through his tricks. 

Alex enjoyed just sitting on the wrap around sofa with Martha in the dark. He wasn't even watching the movie she was watching. He let his thoughts wander away, enjoying the sounds of her wine glass being set down on the glass tabletop or her shuffling against the black leather of the couch. 

When the movie ended and she turned the television off, she smiled and said, "I enjoyed some alone time with my newest boy."

Alex smiled, though he was embarrassed about it. 

\--------

Alex fell into a comfortable routine in the Washington house. He went running with George. He spent quiet time with Martha. He played video games and pick up football and basketball with the boys. He especially loved playing basketball with Aaron, who he was beginning to see as the big brother he never had. Alex did have a big brother, but like his father, he was a no show in his life. The age difference played a big role and Alex wasn't sure if he was like his father or hated his father enough to leave and split when he was fifteen. Alex had been only six. Throughout the years he had sent Christmas cards and pictures of his children, but it had tapered off and pretty soon he just...wasn't. 

School was strange because he now attended a private school. The students didn't wear uniforms like the private schools on the islands, but it was obvious that they were all rich. Every student had their own laptop. The adjacent high school's parking lot were filled with expensive cars. The parents donated large amounts of money to fundraisers and charities. 

Alex had one class with Eliza Schuyler, who was in the seventh grade while he was in the eighth. Creative writing. It wasn't even a class he'd wanted to take, but George and Martha and Ms. Ross had got together and filled up his class schedule before he'd ever even arrived. The creative writing teacher was a young man who seemed to think he was God's gift to the world because he'd published a book. 

"You're going to love him," Eliza leaned over and whispered to him sarcastically. 

Alex had gym with John, which he enjoyed. John seemed to be very popular and would sing loudly in the locker room as they all changed and showered making the other boys join in, singing and clapping along, swaying their arms and and bobbing their heads. 

Alex liked John. He had never considered having a best friend, but John was happy. He was free, in a way. He didn't seem worried about what came out of his mouth or what others thought about him. He smoked weed with John, and not only did it help him sleep, but they could talk and he could talk about his mother and his father and the storm. He didn't need therapy. John's supply and John's company was therapy. 

Hercules and Laf already had a very strong bond, but they still liked Alex and he really liked them too. Hercules teased, but he had a good heart. He was empathetic, Alex had come to learn. He was sensitive. He liked baby animals and baby humans and cared about his hair and skin care. He was also tough. Alex had overheard Martha talking about a shooting in a local shopping mall and she was frightened by the thought.

"I'd protect you, Mom," Hercules had said. "You know I'll always protect you."

Lafayette was almost always mentally out to lunch, but he never let a thought go unspoken. He was kind and loyal and when someone spoke to him, he listened. He was interested in what people had to say and when they recounted a story he got excited as if he was recounting it too, as if he'd been there. 

Alex liked who he was becoming. His shyness was going away and he'd even gotten in trouble a few times, which made the other boys tease him relentlessly the first time he'd been sent to his room by George for threatening to kick Laf's ass at the dinner table. He hadn't meant it, but Martha and George told him swearing was not allowed and he'd broken that rule. 

Alex had a mouth on him. He swore like a sailor (not around Martha and George) and now that he was comfortable he often clashed with some of the boys at his school. That's when George started calling him 'the little lion'.

\-------

It had happened in gym class. The boys had been playing a mindless game of basketball on the court. Alex and John's team had green handkerchiefs tucked into their shorts so they could tell the teams apart. There was a real asshole in the school, Charles Lee, who Alex hadn't liked from the beginning because he was always bragging about his father's job and how much money they had and how he was going to spend winter break. 

During the game, some of the boys were arguing with Lee about one team having more players than the others. 

Chewing gum, his ugly-ass hipster hair cut making his bangs fall in his face, Lee's eyes fell on John and Alex.

"Put one of Washington's rescues on your team and the other on mine," he said.

Some of the other guys snickered.

"Yo, what'd you call us?" John asked. 

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Laurens," Lee said. "I forgot little Mexican's name over there."

"Mexican?" Alex raised and then lowered his eyebrows.

"Washington's rescues," John said. "You really call us that, Bro?"

"Oh please!" Lee scoffed. "Like you don't know the only reason Washington has a house full of street kids is to boost his position."

John started up to him, but Alex took him by the arm. John looked at him.

"Listen to your boyfriend," Lee said. "You wouldn't wanna get suspended. Hurt your daddy."

Alex confronted him instead. 

"I'm not Mexican," he said, calmly. 

"Does it matter?" Lee asked with a sort of 'duh' tone to his sarcasm.

"Yeah, it does," Alex said. 

He stared at Lee. Didn't say anything, he only stared. The whistle blew.

\------

Later, after gym, Alex made sure to wait for Lee, who was the last one to shower and dress. He slammed him against the wall on his way out.

"Hola," Alex said in a very fake, Americanized sounding way. 

Lee, who towered over Alex, seemed surprised by his strength. 

"Let me go," he said. 

"Well, I can't," Alex said. "Because you were talking shit and naturally..." he shrugged. 

"You're going to be in so much trouble," Lee said. "Your foster dad will lose his job."

Alex let him go and punched him hard. Lee cried out, holding his face. 

"Shit!" Alex hissed, shaking his fist, and then put his mouth to his knuckles.

\------

George let him have it when he got sent home later that day, pulled out of class by the principal and an officer. 

He was sitting in a chair in George's office, the door closed. 

"Why did you do it?" George demanded. "Do you know that I'm going to have to go to the board to lift your suspension?"

Alex glared up at him. "Charles Lee is a piece of shit."

"So you just hit him?" George asked hotly. "Because he's a piece of shit, because you don't like him."

"Because he-" Alex suddenly felt embarrassed. 

"Finish the sentence," George demanded. 

"He was talking shi-he was talking about you," Alex said, looking away. 

George only nodded. 

"My name's been through a lot," he said. "I can take it. What I can't take is one of my boys being suspended from school. A good school."

Alex frowned.

"I hate that stupid school," he said. "I'm not supposed to be there."

"Son-"

"Don't call me son!" Alex stood up, his chair falling backwards. "I'm not your son! This isn't my house! This isn't my home! I'm not some rich suburban states kid! I'm a kid from the Caribbean! I don't belong here!"

He kicked the chair which was already on its side. 

"I know what you're doing!" He said angrily, his voice cracking which was embarrassing.

George, surprisingly remained calm.

"What am I doing, Alexander?" He asked, leaning back in his own chair. 

Alex was shaking he was so mad. He'd been feeling so good. He'd been getting along great and then stupid asshole Charles Lee...his words. They stung, not because they were mean, but because Alex had a sinking suspicion that they were true. They haunted him. 

"You work in politics so you thought if you get a bunch of poor, troubled orphan kids it will make you look good! You'll look like a family man! Like someone who cares about people like me! And John! And Hercules! And Laf!"

The words could not stop now and Alex wanted them too because when he ran with George it was freeing, but this was freeing too. Not in a good way. 

"That fucking school!" He continued, putting a hard edge on 'fuck'. "Is full of rich people who would never think twice about kids like us and you sent me there! You sent me there to show people that you can take a bad boy off the street and turn him into a good boy! And one strike and I'm out because I'm from somewhere else! I'm different!"

He suddenly felt drained. Now that the words were out, he was exhausted and just stood there breathing heavily. It was the same feeling as when he came in from a run just feeling fatigued, but that glowing, wonderful feeling of having accomplished something wasn't there with it. Now it was shame. So much shame. 

"Do you feel better?" George asked.

Alex said and did nothing. He just panted. 

"You're a little lion, you know that?" George said. 

Alex still said nothing, but he did look at him.

"You're right," George said. "I do purposefully take in kids that have a bad reputation."

Alex's heart sank.

"And I do it because of my position."

Alex wanted to cry.

"But it's because politicians are assholes too," George said.

Alex's brows furrowed. 

"They grew up rich and spoiled, born with silver spoons in their mouths," George told him. He gestured for Alex to pick up his chair. Alex obeyed, and sat back down.

"I didn't grow up rich," George said. "Not necessarily poor, but my summer vacations were spent collecting bottles and shining shoes. I had to join the military to pay for college. I fought in a war and returned and that's what made me want to get involved with law and order and government."

"Martha and I had always had trouble trying to have children," he continued. "And we were in the process of adopting a baby. An unborn baby that we could raise as our own because her mother was only fourteen and scared and couldn't do it."

"While we were at the hospital," he said, smiling kind of sadly. "She changed her mind. She wanted to keep the baby. We were heartbroken." 

Alex wanted to hug him, but he didn't move.

"And we were angry with her," George said. "Angry at this fourteen year old girl who had told us she couldn't take care of a baby. She worked to support her mother and three younger brothers and now she wanted this baby?"

"And then we started to really talk about her," he said. "About how maybe if she'd had a better upbringing she might not have ever been put into that kind of situation. We began thinking of her not as a mother, but as a little girl."

He smiled, warmly this time. "And I thought about all of those youth programs that just ended up tanking and money for foster systems and it just clicked to Martha and I like a light bulb. We didn't need a baby. There were kids out there like that little girl with a baby who needed us, and nobody would want them because everyone wanted babies."

He stood up. Alex stood up too.

"I want you, Alexander," George said. "I purposely sought you out, fought for you to come here, and fought to put you in that school because  _I_ wanted you."

Alex swallowed. 

"And I think it's time I show you something."

He moved over to a filing cabinet with a lock on it and took a key from somewhere under the desk. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a file folder. He handed it to Alex. 

"You can open it," he said.

Alex opened it. It was several sheets of paper, document style with very small print. 

"Adoption papers," George said. "Martha and I are trying to legally adopt you."

"Why?" Alex asked.

"Because your ours," George said. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but we're having a little trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Alex asked.

"If I tell you," George said seriously. "Will you promise not to kick that chair over again?"

Alex said nothing.

"Your father refuses to sign over rights," George said. 

\-------

His father was alive. 

Alex carried that information numbly all the way to his room. John sat up in bed, looking worried.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

"I'm suspended for a week and I'm grounded from TV and video games," Alex said, standing in the middle of the room.

"I heard you screaming," John said. "We've all done that in there. Screamed at George. Maybe not Aaron."

He squinted skeptically.

"Why'd you hit Lee? Man, you knew that would end badly."

"Doesn't matter," Alex said, wriggling out of his jeans. "Talk shit, get hit."

That made John laugh. He chewed on a hangnail. 

"Alex," he said. "Can I tell you something? Now that we're, you know, close?" He asked.

"If it's about the adoption thing, George just told me," Alex said. He still had his father on the brain. Fucking bastard was alive. He knew Alex was alive. And Alex was here, far away, and he still wouldn't let someone else have him. 

"What? No." John didn't seem surprised. "Yeah, they were talkin' about adopting you before you ever got here, but it's not that."

"What is it?" Alex asked, removing his shirt. He began digging around the dresser drawers for his pajama bottoms and a clean t-shirt.

"I like boys, Alex," John said. "That's why...that's why my dad used to beat the shit outta me. He caught me kissing a boy in my room."

Alex pulled a clean t-shirt over his head.

"Oh." He wasn't really sure what to say.

"I was angry. A lot. I was probably the worst to George. I was always in that office with the door closed. I finally told him. I had no choice."

"Yeah, he kind of makes you talk," Alex said dryly and John gave him a sad half-smile. 

"He doesn't mind," John said. "Martha doesn't either."

He looked at Alex. 

"Do you mind?" He asked. "I mean, it doesn't weird you out or anything?"

"I guess not," Alex said. "I don't like guys or girls so I'm really the weird one."

_And I'm a liar,_ he thought, thinking of Angelica. He thought about her a lot. He was just beginning to get to the age (or so he guessed, maybe he was a late bloomer) where he touched himself sometimes, and Angelica always came to mind. 

"Really?" John grinned. "That is weird."

"So your dad beat your mom because he thought she made you gay?" Alex guessed.

"Yeah," John said. "He said she coddled me too much and I didn't get my ass beat enough."

"But he won't let George adopt you," Alex said. 

"My old man doesn't want me, but he doesn't want anyone else to have me either," John said. "How fucked up is that? I ran away the night he got me good. I was twelve. It turned out he'd cracked a few of my ribs. I went and stayed with Herc. He was staying with some guys on the west end."

"Does he know?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, everyone in this house knows," John said. "There was a family meeting about it. Herc was mad at me."

"Why?"

"Because the family meeting made him miss part of the football game."

Alex laughed a little. 

"The Schuylers know too," John said. "And I don't think you're telling the truth about not liking girls. I see the way you look at Angie."

Alex blushed.

John punched him in the arm. 

"She's a little out of your league, Bro," John said. "She's a Schuyler. We're...what did Lee call us? Rescues."

\-------------

Alex had a dream about Angelica. In his dream they were lying on his top bunk together, their hands intertwined. He was kissing her cheek and then her ear and her soft, curly hair. In his dream he was sort of grinding against her like a dog in heat, but even in his head he knew that was weird and ridiculous. It wasn't the worst part. Standing in the doorway, was his father, James Hamilton, giving him a seedy look of approval. Alex sat up and turned red, shaking his head. His father laughed and nodded. Angelica told him that George was on the phone.

Alex woke up. He went to the bathroom and cried quietly. 

\----------

Alex enjoyed Eliza Schuyler too, he decided. She was as sweet and cheerful as a little bird, but there was a mischievous side to her as well. When he returned to school, she smiled at him from her desk like he'd been gone for months instead of just one week. 

"I couldn't handle this guy," she said. "I missed all of your debating with him. Remember when he'd told Lucille that her short story was wrong and you argued what did it matter so long as someone somewhere enjoyed it? We needed a lot more of that in this class. I had to take up the slack."

"Eliza Schuyler," he said, mock shock. "Did you argue with a teacher?"

She giggled and shushed him.

"I'm telling," he said in a sing-song voice and she covered his mouth. 

After class, they ate lunch together. The fall was beautiful here, but of course, the Caribbean had no fall so Alex had nothing to compare. Eliza shared her chocolate chip cookie with him and he shared raspberry tea with her. They sat outside in the little courtyard on a concrete bench, watching some of the other students. 

"So what was it like?" She asked. "Hitting Charles?"

"Look." he showed her his knuckles, which were scabbed over now.

She winced and then smiled at him sympathetically. 

"You think you're a bad boy," she said. "But I know better."

"I am a bad boy," he said. "I smoke pot with John. I beat up rich kids. I threw a chair yesterday."

"I want to smoke with you and John sometimes," she said. "I've never done it."

"How about tonight?" He asked. 

He almost asked if Angelica could come, but he didn't know if Angelica smoked and if she didn't, what if she got that Eliza did? 

"Okay," she said, smiling excitedly.

\---------

They smoked in the park where Alex and George went running. John had brought a blanket and all three of them laid on it, Eliza in between them. They lazily passed the joint around, laughing and making jokes that weren't all that funny, but when you were high, they were extra funny.

"I want to hear your poem," Eliza said, snuggling up against Alex. He took a long drag of the joint and then put it in between her lips. She took it and took her own puff. 

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?" She asked. 

"It's lame," he lied.

He couldn't because it was too much. It was the most truthful thing he'd written and he was afraid of it. 

"Alexander?" She said quietly.

"Betsey," he said just as quietly and she giggled.

"I like Bestey," she said in a somewhat squeaky voice.

"You guys are gross," John said, sitting up, grinning down at them. He stretched. 

"Will you read it to me someday?" Eliza asked. "When you're ready?"

"Okay."

\---------

The fall turned into winter and Christmas and New Years passed. By the time the spring rolled around, Alex was a different person. There was no longer a shy bone in his body. He fought and argued with his parents and his brothers. He flirted shamelessly with Angelica. He spent time with Eliza. He even spent time with Peggy, who was still a child, but she was wise. She was fierce. She was not afraid of people or feelings. She told Alexander things he didn't want to hear, but things he needed to hear. She told him when he was being a butthead. She made him stop when he was getting too full of himself. He had the big brother experience with Aaron and the little sister experience with Peggy.

It wasn't until May that he was sitting on the couch in his pajama pants and sweatshirt, getting over a cold, that a knock sounded at the door. The others were at church. Alex opened the door hoping it was one of the Schuylers. It wasn't.

"Hey, Kid."

It was his father.

 

 

 

To Be Continued... 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Alex didn't know what to do or say as his father shuffled into the house. Alex suddenly felt vulnerable in his pajama pants and Aaron's oversized sweatshirt.

"Your hair," his father said, fingering some of the long hair that came just past his chin. "Why is it so long?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alex blurted out, sounding nasal due to his cold. He wished he didn't sound like that.

"Relax," his father said. "The Washingtons told me to come. I've been speaking with them for a few months now, but you know how it goes. When you're a fisherman..."

"No," Alex said. "I don't know."

For several minutes, neither of them said anything. His father looked around, rocking back and forth on his heels, a pleasant expression on his face. Alex stared at him. He wanted to make him uncomfortable. He wanted to make him leave. 

"Keeping your nose clean?" His father asked.

It was something he used to say to him. When he was little, Alex found it funny and endearing, but as he got older, it was just annoying. He said nothing, he just kept staring. Scowling was more like it. He finally went to the kitchen and got himself a bottle of water. He offered his father nothing. 

"Sorry to hear about Rachel," his father said when he returned. "She was a good lady."

"She was my mother," Alex said quietly, angrily. He was ready to explode.

"Your brother told me she passed," his father said. "He has four kids now. Can you believe it?"

Alex couldn't believe his father was talking to him like they were old work buddies. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. 

"I don't know," he said. "I don't talk to James."

Relief flooded through Alex when he heard the familiar sound of the family suburban pull into the driveway. Hercules, John, and Laf barreled in first, immediately shedding their church shoes and untucking their dress shirts. George, Martha, and Aaron soon followed. George and Martha stopped. 

"Mr. Washington," Alex's father said, smiling and extending his hand. "James Hamilton."

"Yes, hello." George shook his hand. He wasn't smiling, but his voice was polite.

The boys got quiet, looking between Alex and the man. Alex was humiliated. He knew that they were awed by the resemblance. Small build, large solemn eyes. The same nose, same hand shape. Alex knew he looked like the man he hated the most, and he wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. 

"Would you like some coffee?" Martha asked dutifully, motioning for the boys to go upstairs. She moved behind Alex, almost in a protective way, and rubbed his shoulders.

Alex wanted to turn around and embrace her, but he did not. She leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" She asked quietly.

"Is he sick?" His father asked, eyebrows raised.

Alex wanted to smack him. He was in pajamas, disheveled hair, red nose, scratchy voice...his father would never know anyone was sick. Mostly, Alex thought, it was because he was sick in the head in some way.

"Alex, why don't you go take a hot shower?" George suggested, dismissing him from whatever conversation was about to take place.

Alex didn't move. He wanted an explanation. 

"He's gotten big," his father said, which was a lie. Alex was teased at school relentlessly for looking so young.

Aaron seemed to sense what the Washington's were trying to do and told Alex, "Come on. I'll help you with that assignment for English while I have some time."

Alex didn't need help with any English assignments-he was one of the smartest in the class, but he didn't argue. He didn't make a scene. He simply went upstairs with Aaron, who patted his back in a reassuring way. When they got to his room, Alex exploded.

"Why is he here?" He demanded. "Why did George tell him to come here?"

John, who had been lying on his bed playing on his phone, sat up. He looked at Aaron. It was clear that he didn't know James Hamilton was going to show up. 

"George and Martha need him to sign papers for the state to release you into their custody," Aaron explained. "That's all."

"But why is he  _here_?" Alex asked. "If they knew where he was, why didn't they just email the papers or something?"

Aaron bit his bottom lip. Alex knew he was hiding something, but Aaron just shrugged as if to say 'I don't know'.

\------

It seemed like hours before Alex couldn't stand it any longer, holed up in the bedroom with John, who had decided to take a nap. He crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs, lingering at the top. He could hear the three adults talking quietly, coffee cups clinking against the glass table in the living room. 

"He's a great kid," He heard George say. "A live wire of a kid actually."

"Yeah," his father said, and he could almost see him leaning back into the couch like he was actually familiar with his own son. "Kid takes after me. Doesn't give up."

Alex wanted to take one of Martha's beautiful vases from the hallway and smash it over his head. He wanted to push him in front of a moving car. 

"We can more than provide for him," Martha said. "He's in a very good school, he gets along with his brothers."

"I just think maybe it might be good to get to know him again," his father said and something in Alex's stomach churned. "I never really bonded with my oldest and he split when he was fifteen. It might do him good to get out on the water and learn the art of fishing."

There was silence. Uncomfortable silence, and then Alex's heart dropped when he heard what George said next.

"How much do you want, Mr. Hamilton?"

There was no beating around the bush, no faux-politeness. It was a straight to the point question. 

"You make it sound like I'm selling the kid," his father chuckled uncomfortably.

 _You are selling me_ , Alex thought, feeling his face and throat get hot. 

"George," Martha said quietly.

"I want Alexander," George said firmly. "And if this is the only way to get him, I'll drive to the bank right now. You're not walking out of this house with him."

"Then let's talk business," his father said, his voice cheerful. "Let's talk about what's best for Alexander."

\------

Alex went back to his room and dressed quickly. John sat up just as he started to cry.

"Alex?" He asked quietly.

Alex shook his head, signaling that he didn't want to talk about anything. As he wept, trying to be as quiet as possible, he pulled his hair into a messy ponytail and grabbed his sneakers. John stood up and moved toward him. He took Alex by the arms, forcing him to stand still. He searched his best friend's face. Alex swallowed hard, looking away as tears silently slid down his cheeks. John embraced him, his nose and lips in Alex's hair, and Alex cried harder. 

\-----

Alex sneaked out through the window, making his way from the balcony to the tree. It was how all of the boys escaped after curfew. He promised John he would be alright and when he hit the ground, he knew just where he was going to go. There was a rental car parked in the long driveway. He wanted to scratch nasty things in it with a key, but he didn't have one. 

\-----

"Alexander, hello," Poppy, the Schuyler's housekeeper said cheerfully as she answered the door. "How have you been, Love? We haven't seen you in a while!"

She was cheerful, plump Irish woman who reminded Alex of a kind grandmother. She always had cookies or cupcakes or lemonade for guests and instantly offered Alex some maple toffee cookies. He took three, cramming them into his mouth as he made his way up the lavish staircase. The Washingtons had a nice house, but the Schuyler house was extravagant. It could have housed his entire neighborhood back on the island. 

"Alexander?"

He stopped on his way to Angelica's room when he saw Peggy coming out of her own room. She always seemed so out of place, dressed in t-shirts and jeans and ball caps in the mansion. She was currently dressed in some cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Her wild curls were pulled into a tight ponytail. 

"I thought you were sick," she said.

"I got better," Alex said.

"You don't sound better," she said. "Your eyes are red. Were you crying?"

"Is Angelica here?" He asked.

"She's in her room. She has a huge test tomorrow so she may not want any visitors."

Visitors. Alex almost smiled at how grown up Peggy could sound sometimes. 

"I'm learning Karate," Peggy said. "I'm going outside to practice."

"I'm still getting over a cold," Alex said. "Or I'd practice with you."

Angelica opened her bedroom door. She was still in her church dress. She seemed surprised to see Alexander. 

"Alexander," she said, brows furrowing.

"He's been crying," Peggy said. "You can tell. His eyes are red. So is his nose."

"Go outside," Angelica told her and Peggy bounded down the stairs, yelling for her father to join her. 

Angelica pulled Alex into her room by his arm and looked him over. She was very maternal by nature.

"What happened?" She asked.

Alex said nothing. He longed to kiss her. He longed for her to hold him and smooth out his hair and let him lie on her bed with her. She smelled like Jasmine and coconuts. She smelled like home. 

"My father showed up," he said. Just saying it out loud made him feel like the wind had been knocked out of him.

"He's alive?" Angelica asked.

"Apparently."

"So where the Hell has he been?" She demanded.

She motioned for Alex to sit on her bed. He sat. She moved behind him and took the hair tie out of his hair, running her fingers through his hair. 

"He doesn't want me," Alex said. "He's never wanted me." 

"George and Martha want you," Angelica said. 

Alex gently took her hand, turning his head to look at her. 

"What?" She asked softly.

"Will you cut my hair?" He asked. 

It was a strange question, but Angelica only nodded and gently tugged him off of the bed, leading him to her en suite bathroom which was almost the size of the bedroom he shared with John. She returned to her bedroom to get her desk chair and brought it into the bathroom. He sat in it, staring at himself in the mirror, and she moved to stand behind him.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes," he said. 

"I'll need to get my father's razor too," she said.

When she left, Alex closed his eyes and imagined kissing her again. He put his face in his hands and took deep breaths so he wouldn't cry. Angelica returned and he looked up. It was nice to have her snipping with scissors and finishing with the razor. She was methodical and precise in her movements, not saying anything as she worked. When she was finished, Alex looked at his short hair in the mirror.

"It's very handsome," she told him, sweeping some stray hair off of his shoulder before resting her chin there. 

"You're very handsome," she said, kissing his cheek.

Alex licked his lips and then took her face in his hands gently, clumsily turning before kissing her. She kissed him back. It surprised him. They kissed for several seconds and then Angelica pulled away, folding her lips together like they burned.

"Alexander," she said, her voice smaller than normal.

Alex wanted to say 'I'm sorry' but he couldn't. He wasn't sorry. He had wanted to kiss her for so long. He had enjoyed kissing her. 

"Angelica?" They both heard Eliza call, entering the bedroom. "Could you help me with this assignment?"

She made her way into the bathroom and blinked in surprise. 

"Hi," Alex said sheepishly. 

"Your hair," she said quietly.

"Doesn't he look handsome?" Angelica asked. 

Eliza said nothing. Alex stood up, running a hand through his short hair. 

"You're very handsome," Eliza agreed, forcing a smile. She turned to her sister. "Can you help me?"

\--------

When Alex returned home, the rental car was gone. George and Martha were waiting for him. 

"Your hair," Martha said, sounding like Eliza.

"Angelica cut it," he said. 

"You look nice," George said.

"Very nice," Martha agreed.

The three of them were silent. Alex finally asked the question.

"Where'd my father go?" 

"He had to leave," Martha said. "Dearest, we want to talk to you."

"How much did I cost?" Alex asked.

George and Martha looked surprised.

"How much did he sell me for?" He asked, moving past them to go to the kitchen.

They followed him.

"It's not like that," Martha said quietly.

"Bullshit." Alex shut the fridge door harder than necessary. "I heard everything. He sold me, you bought me."

"Language," Martha said firmly, but George simply put his hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Let's go for a run," he said.

\--------

They walked to the park in silence. Alex wasn't mad, not really, not at the Washingtons. He knew that they loved him. He'd acted out a couple of times now, got into a few fights, and they hadn't thrown him out. 

"James Hamilton is a piece of shit," George said when they finally got onto the walking trail. 

Alex looked at him.

"I hired a private investigator a while back," George continued. "They found your father. He's been in Florida, working for a small fishing commercial fisherman. I told him about the adoption, about the documents, and then he hired an investigator."

"To investigate you?" Alex asked, brows furrowing.

"Yes," George said. "I think he was more interested in finding out my salary. He wrote back to me."

Alex waited. They began a slow jog. 

"He wrote to me saying that he wanted to take you back," George said. "At first I thought maybe he genuinely wanted you, but every time he wrote, he never asked about you, only about me. When I finally had enough, I sent him your picture."

Alex began to feel a little better. Running always made him feel better.

"I knew before I even asked him to come sign documents in person that he wasn't going to sign anything without slapping a price tag on you first," George said. "I'm sorry you had to hear all of that. I'm sorry you had to hear me buy you."

"It's okay," Alex said, and it really was. "So did he sign papers?"

"Yes," George said, smiling. "One more appearance in front of a judge and you're all ours. Too bad, right?"

Alex smiled a little too. They made three laps up around the jogging trail and when the finally made it back out after the third time, George knelt down and said, "I love you."

Alex didn't say it back, but he hugged George. 

\--------

Alex and Angelica didn't talk about the kiss. Weeks passed and neither of them mentioned it. He could tell it had affected her, though. Every time they were around each other, he would catch her looking at him or she would insist on sitting next to him if they were in a group. One night, the Washington brothers and the Shuyler sisters all decided to go to the park to watch Herc and Laf play an unofficial basketball game with a rival group of ball players. 

Alex sat on the grass with the others, Angelica on one side of him, Eliza on the other. The three of them shared a Coke. 

"Your brothers are going to massacre them," Eliza said, cheering as the game started. 

"Yeah, they are," Alex said, grinning. He passed Eliza the glass bottle and she took a drink. 

"It feels amazing tonight," she said, looking up at the sky that was a nice blend of pink and orange and dark purple. "It's usually hot by now."

Alex felt his skin grow hot as her fingers ghosted across his hand. Angelica seemed to take notice. She stood up, dusting grass from her jeans and said, "I need to go find Peggy. She's running around here with John."

Eliza looked confused.

"They're right over there. He's pushing her on the swings."

Alex turned to see Peggy squealing with laughter as John pushed her so high that was actually running under her as he pushed. 

"Jump!" He yelled, standing in front of her. "I'll catch you!"

"I'm scared!" Peggy laughed.

"Jump, Girl!" John ordered again.

"Don't you dare, John Laurens!"Angelica scolded, making her way over to the playground.

Eliza and Alex laughed together.

"He'd never hurt Peggy," Alex said.

"Oh, I know," Eliza said. She wriggled her hand under his this time, making them hold hands. He squeezed. She squeezed back.

"Why did Angelica cut your hair?" She asked. 

"I was mad at my dad," he said. "I don't know. I just went kind of crazy."

"Angelica told me," Eliza said quietly. "She also told me you've been writing a lot. You let her read what you write."

"She's a writer," Alex said simply. "She can help me."

That was true enough. Alex had started showing Angelica things he'd written, trying to sound snarky and sarcastic. Trying to make his mean and sad words funny, but Angelica had read it and told him not to do that. She wanted him to be honest, even if it was sad and mean. 

"I'm not a great writer," Eliza admitted. "I've always wanted to be, like Angelica. She makes you  _feel_ whatever she's written. I've always wanted to write like her."

Alex didn't know what to say. She looked at him.

"I'm a really good listener, though," she said, smiling kind of sadly. "I'd like to read the things you've written too."

They were interrupted when an argument broke out on the court. Some of the other boys were claiming Herc and Laf had somehow cheated. Hercules roared at them with a slew of 'Man' and 'Come on' and 'Get off the Gas'. Laf was just babbling in such fast, broken English that it may as well have been French. The game continued and Eliza and Alex chuckled again. 

\----------

On the last day of school, which was a half day, Angelica invited Alex to go walking with her. He was ecstatic. He went home and changed into a nicer shirt and jeans and smoothed out his hair. He met her at the park on the walking trail. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a dress and sandals and her wild curls almost glittered in the sunlight that filtered through the trees. She held his hand as they walked. 

"You'll be in high school in the fall," she said.

"With you," he pointed out.

"With me," she repeated, but there was something in her voice that sounded off. 

Alex told her about the latest piece he was writing. A letter to his father. A letter to all of the deadbeat fathers. He told her it was mean and it was sad and it was angry, but it was true. He looked at her for approval. She liked people that told the truth. 

"Alexander," she said. "Eliza really likes you."

Alex shrugged. "I really like her too."

"No." She let out a small, frustrated sigh. " She talks about you all the time. She writes your name on her school papers."

She tucked some hair behind her ear.

"She told me she smokes with you sometimes," she said quietly.

"She told you?" Alex was worried. Would Angelica be upset?

"It's just pot?" She asked. "Nothing else?"

"Just pot," he agreed. 

"I love my sister," she said. "I love her more than anything."

She was smiling as she hugged herself, almost like she was hugging Eliza. 

"I want to tell you something," Alex said, stopping her. His heart was beating so hard he could hear it in his ears.

"No," she said firmly. "Don't tell me."

"But-"

"Don't love me, Alexander," she said, and his face heated. "Don't."

"I thought you liked me," he said quietly, thinking of their kiss, thinking of how she kissed him back. 

"I do," she said, laughing breathlessly. "God, Alex. You're a real writer. You're a genius like me. I can talk to you so freely. I don't have to back track and explain things. You listen to me talk about what I'm passionate about and I can see it in your eyes that you're genuinely interested. You don't just meet people like that."

She took his hands in hers. She closed her eyes like she was preparing for a shot or to rip a Band Aid off. 

"My parents expect a lot from me," she said quietly. "I'm the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the city. I'm a genius, I've had work published. I'm going to have to pick between Ivy League schools."

"I know," Alex said, trying to lean in, trying to kiss her. She wouldn't let him. 

"I have an image to uphold," she said. "It's not only my reputation that's at stake. It's my father's too."

Alex felt his chest hurting. He knew what she was saying. He couldn't believe she was saying it. He could believe that it hurt so bad to hear it. Angelica played with his hands in hers.

"Eliza doesn't have the same reputation as I do," she said quietly. "She's free. God, I envy her."

"I'm not good enough for you," Alex said, pulling his hands away. He looked away. He was ashamed. 

"Nobody is," Angelica said. "Probably not until I get into college, but Alex, Eliza-"

"Eliza!" Alex yelled out into the trees, throwing his hands out. "Eliza, Eliza, Eliza! I don't want Eliza! I want you!"

"Angelica," he said, voice cracking. "I love you."

The words were out now. Angelica's eyes filled with tears. 

"I don't think you know what you want," she said. "Let's go back to the park, and we won't talk about this anymore."

So they did, and they didn't.

\---------

In the middle of the summer, Alex had his second kiss. It wasn't Angelica. It wasn't even Eliza. It was John. 

 

 

 

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The end of the eighth grade went by quickly. There was an evening middle school graduation ceremony which Martha made a big deal about, making the four graduates stand together in the living room for pictures. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. 

"Mom, don't," John pleaded, rolling his eyes, slumping his shoulders.

The four of them were dressed in nice collar shirts with ties. Alex felt silly. It was only middle school. They weren't going off to college just yet. He was receiving special awards for higher honors, having made better grades than his brothers. 

"We need to get going," George said, looking at his watch. "If we never get out of here, we'll miss the whole ceremony."

"Can we?" Laf asked excitedly, and Martha prodded him out the door.

When they reached the school, all of the graduating eighth graders had to cluster together behind the stage in the auditorium. Most of them were goofing off or hugging friends that were going to different high schools. Hercules and Laf ran off to play with some stray dodge balls some of the other boys had found. They took turns pelting other students who had bravely entered 'the war zone'. John also sauntered off, a cloud of girls dragging him away to sign year books like autographs. Alex couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. 

Now that he was alone, he felt alone. He had been trying to push them away, but the thoughts of Angelica's words in the park crept into his brain and stayed there. He pushed past other students and made his way to the door that led to the auditorium. They hadn't let parents and family in just yet so it was empty. 

"Alexander?"

Alex looked up to see Eliza standing in the aisle holding a camera. 

"Eliza," he said, happy to see her.

She smiled.

"You look very handsome," she said. "I'm taking pictures for the yearbook."

"Make me look good," he said, running a hand through his hair. It made her laugh.

"I'm a little sad." She sighed. "Who's going to debate in our creative writing class now?"

Alex gave her a sly grin and said, "I taught you well. You're more than ready."

She gave him her own knowing grin, flashing beautiful white teeth that almost glowed in the dim lighting. 

"I have to go back," she said. "I was just looking for the best spot to take pictures."

There was a heavy pause and Alex knew that she wanted to say more, but before either of them could say anything, some of the boys burst through the door and hit Alex with a dodge ball, hooting and hollering. Alex let out a string of loud swears and picked up the ball. 

"Oh, shit!" One of the boys said, laughing nervously, turning to run. Anyone who knew Alexander was aware that he was strong, despite his small build.

"Oh shit is right!" He said, holding the ball over his head. He started after them and then turned to Eliza, who had her eyebrows raised.

"I'll see you after," he told her. "Maybe we can go to the park."

It was code for smoke weed.

"I have to be up early tomorrow," she said. "We're going to Hawaii."

"Oh. Well, Aloha then," he said, and she laughed, pulling him closer by the tie.

"Alexander," she scolded affectionately. "Who taught you how to tie a tie?"

She fixed it for him and then smoothed out some of his hair. He was looking at her with big dark puppy eyes, ball still over his head. She kissed his cheek and said with mischievous note in her voice, "Don't kill them, okay? They're just dumb boys."

\-------

Alex went up to the stage again and again to receive one award after another. He could see George and Martha and Aaron from the audience every time. After it was all over, he was exhausted, and hungry. His brothers were too.

"Food, food, food, food," they chanted in the car.

George drove the bunch to the nearest all night pancake place. Martha told him how proud she was. Hercules called him a nerd for all of his awards.

"Says the wizard or whatever the hell you are," Alex shot back. "That dumb make-em-up game."

"Alexander," Martha scolded and he apologized.

\--------

After that night, summer officially began. Hercules and Laf spent most of the day on the basketball court or at the local swimming pool. Alex and John had tagged along a few times, but mostly they just loitered everywhere. John went to a lot of protests and meetings about black rights, womens rights, rights for gays...Alex sometimes went and he was awed by the passion of the speakers. He decided to start writing speeches. When it was too hot to do anything, he stayed inside and wrote speeches often giving them to John to check over. John said he was a fantastic writer. 

"It sounds like an adult is talking," he told Alexander as they both sat on John's bed, going over Alex's speech about police brutality. "It sounds professional."

Now that they shared a common interest, John and Alex could go walking or just sit somewhere and talk for hours. Alex liked to hear John discuss serious issues. He liked to hear the anger and sadness and passion in his voice. John liked to read all of these things in the papers Alex wrote. They talked about one day being on their own as adults, writing and reading these speeches out loud in front of a crowd. It was a beautiful fantasy. 

 

\------

One night, as John and Alex sat on the top of the playground at the local park-no weed this time, John started talking about his father. Alex knew about his father, but he had never really heard John go into detail. 

"When he caught me kissing Andre," he said, his legs dangling from the structure. "I could see it in his eyes. I knew he was about to tear my ass up."

He smiled a little sadly.

"I remember him calling me a faggot as he hit me over and over. He kept saying it and I think it hurt me worse than the blows."

"He's an asshole," Alex said, and he meant it. John was too good to hurt.

"Most are, aren't they?" John replied with a flat chuckle. "Not George. He's a good man."

Alex nodded. 

"You still thinkin' about Angelica?" John wanted to know, jumping down into the mulch.

"No." Alex followed suit. 

"Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"You are."

"Why didn't she want me?" Alex asked, sounding pitiful. Sounding childish. "She said it was complicated, but is it?"

"She's a Schuyler," John said simply. "Of course it's complicated."

Alex sulked. John laughed and slapped him on the back. 

"There are other girls out there, Bro," he said.

"Not like Angelica," Alex muttered darkly. He knew that he would never find a girl with a mind like his. He would never find a girl who knew what writing was all about, who could laugh at references no other teenager got because they were old and outdated pieces of literature. 

John rocked back and forth, hands jammed deep into his pockets. Alex watched him. 

"C'mere," John said, taking out his hands, gesturing.

"Why?" Alex asked, brows furrowing.

"Just come here," John said, laughing.

Alex approached him. John took him by the shoulders. He had grown since they'd first met, and was a few inches taller than Alex now. He brushed some of Alex's bangs out of his eyes. Alex was surprised when he kissed him. He was even more surprised that he kissed him back, only for a few seconds, and then he pulled back.

"The fuck?" He asked softly.

John smiled, looking down.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"I feel worse," Alex said. "You kiss almost as good as Angelica."

John laughed and leaned in again and Alex kissed him again. It was different, but it was nice. There was something about John that reminded him of Angelica. Maybe it was his passion. Maybe it was his sureness. Maybe it was the fact that he knew who he was and he was unapologetic for it. 

They kissed several times that night until their lips were swollen, then they just sat on the swings, lazily pushing themselves back and forth with the toes of their shoes in the mulch.

"Now I think it's kind of weird," Alex said and John busted out laughing.

"It is a little weird now," he agreed. 

"Martha probably doesn't want us kissing since we share a room," Alex said. 

"Probably not, Son," John agreed. He looked up and said, "I just wanted to see."

"See what?" Alex frowned at him.

"If you were into kissing guys," John said. "You'd said before you didn't like guys or girls."

"I liked kissing Angelica," he said, gripping the chains of the swings. 

\--------

Alex spent a whole summer kissing John. It was weird, disturbing almost, because he wasn't necessarily attracted to him. It was more like a hobby or a tutoring session. John even made it into a tutoring session once in a while, instructing him on how to properly use his tongue and lips and how not to bump foreheads or noses. They never told anybody, not even Hercules or Laf or Aaron. It didn't matter because after a while it just sort of fizzled out. Alex didn't hate John, and John didn't hate him, but they just grew bored of kissing one another. 

Alex also spent time with the Schuyler sisters, though Angelica never hung up with him without Eliza and Peggy in tow. Alex knew why, but he never pointed it out. He longed to kiss her again, the way he'd learned to kiss from John, but he knew it would never happen. 

\------

"Do you want to go swimming with me?" Eliza asked over the phone one day. She was like Alex. She didn't like text messages and social media. She liked to hear someone's voice.

"Sure," he said. "At your house?"

The Schuylers had an awesome pool.

"No," she said. "The lake at the park."

Alex had been there plenty of times. It was Herc and Laf's favorite place to swim. Often the boys would swim with no clothes on. Twice a group of girls had stolen their clothes. He said yes and met her at the trail that was only a short walk to the lake. 

Eliza was wearing a towel-material dress over her two piece swimsuit when he met her there. She removed her cover and he removed his shirt, remaining only in his swimming trunks. 

"Do you need sunscreen?" She asked, slathering her own milky skin. She was beautiful, but the sun hated her.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm good."

He offered to put sunscreen on her back. It was nice to sit behind her and put sunscreen on her. He joked that it was difficult because the sunscreen was the same color as her skin.

"You're so mean," she said, laughing.

"You have beautiful skin," he assured her. 

The two of them ran off the dock holding hands, jumping into the cold water. Eliza squealed as she surfaced, sputtering and blowing water out of her nose. Her face was wet and her nose was red and she looked beautiful like that. The best he'd ever seen her.

"Where are your sisters?" He asked, treading water.

"Angelica has a big recital coming up," she explained. "She's away at some kind of group study for it. Peggy has been staying over with a friend for days now. It's like she has a new family."

They both laughed.

"How's her Karate training?" He wanted to know.

"She got bored," Eliza said. "Now she's into dancing. She loses interest fast."

"That's not too bad," he said.

"No," she agreed. "It isn't. Peggy loves to try new things and Angelica finds something she knows she'll be good at and sticks with it. I'm jealous of both of them. I'm decent at a lot of things, but I'm not really good at just one thing."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Alex said.

Eliza smiled a little, but said nothing. Her smile vanished, however, and she cried out a little and seemed to struggle.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"My foot's caught," she said. "I think it's seaweed!" 

She was clearly trying to force her way up by her movements. It looked like she was falling backwards, meaning one of her feet was probably caught under some seaweed and it wasn't wrapped around her. Alex couldn't be sure.

"Stay calm," he told her, swimming towards her. 

She fell backwards into the water and he pulled her up. He couldn't pull her up very far. She was obviously entangled. She whimpered and clung to him. 

"I want you to hold your breath," he said. "I'm going to dive under and try to untangle your leg. You're probably going to fall back again. Just hold your breath."

There was fear and sadness in her eyes, but she nodded. Alex very gently let her go and dove under. He was a very good swimmer. As he went under the water, he heard her fall back. It had to be much for frightening for her than it was for him. He couldn't seem to get far down enough to reach her actual foot where she was tangled. He came back up for air, pulling her up with him. She coughed and sputtered. 

"It's okay, Eliza," he told her. "Breathe."

He knew that if he let her go she would fall and most likely drown. He could not go and get help. 

"My foot is digging into the mud," she said. "I'm slipping again."

"I'm going to try again," Alex said. He let her go and went under again. He got so involved in trying to move down that he grabbed her by the leg, attempting to pull himself down, but it pulled her back and she was under again too. His feet suddenly went into the cloud of mud and lake grass and he struggled to get up too. He suddenly felt strong hands under his armpits, pulling him to the surface. 

"Eliza!" He sputtered. "Help her!"

"I got her!" A voice said. "I got her! She's okay!"

Eliza was coughing in someone's arms, coughing up water, and it scared Alex. 

"Eliza?" He asked, his voice cracking.

Whoever had them dragged them to the dock. Alex climbed on and one of the strangers hoisted Eliza on. 

"Does she need CPR?" One of them asked.

"I think she's okay."

It was an older boy with bushy hair. He looked like one of the life guards at the pool. The ones who always felt the need to show off their abs. He held Eliza in his arms as she caught her breath. The other was a big guy like Hercules, but clearly older.

"Dumb kids," he muttered. 

"Eliza." Alex moved closer to her. 

She coughed again and then started to cry. The stranger let her cry against him.

"She's just a little shaken up," he said. 

"That's not a good area to swim," he told Alex. "Don't you see all the grass floating on top?"

"Thomas," the other said. "They're just kids."

"Yeah, kids who almost got themselves killed."

"I'm not a kid," Alex said. 

"Yeah, twelve isn't a kid."

"I'm fourteen."

"Oh."

It surprised Alex. Wasn't this guy like eighteen or so? Fourteen would still a be a kid in his eyes. 

"Fourteen, really?" The other asked.

"How old are you?" Alex asked, frowning.

"Sixteen," the first one said. 

"Thanks for helping us," Alex said. "Eliza, can you walk?"

"I'm okay," she said in a scratchy voice, pulling away from whoever this Thomas person was. She stood up on shaky legs. 

"That was scary," she said in a small breathless way.

Alex nodded. He moved in front of her.

"Here," he said. "I'll carry you."

"Aw," Thomas cooed sarcastically and as Eliza hoisted her small thin body onto Alex, Alex flipped him the bird. 

"Don't do that again," Thomas said. "Tell 'em, Jemmy."

"Don't do it again," the other said.

Alex was grateful that they'd helped, but now he sort of wished they'd drown.

\------------

Alex took Eliza home and the two of them sat on her large wrap around front porch for a long time on the big wooden double rocker. She gave him a small, shy smile. 

"My hero," she said quietly. 

"You were absolutely helpless," he said in a dainty voice and they both laughed.

Angelica eventually showed up, being dropped off by one of her friends and she smiled at the sight. Alex noticed there was hesitation in that smile. Eliza told her what had happened and Angelica pulled her up and hugged her like Eliza was the most precious thing in the world.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I am now," Eliza said, and told her the rest of the story of how the mysterious Thomas and Jemmy saved them both.

"Thomas and Jemmy?" Angelica made a face. "Oh, God. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison?"

"Oh that's Thomas?" Eliza asked, her eyes wide.

"Who's Thomas Jefferson?" Alex asked. 

"A conceited piece of shit," Angelica said. "He thinks he's God's gift to the world. He transferred from Virginia or somewhere two years ago and has this irritating, slow drawl and thinks he's such a womanizer and he's smart, but he wants everyone to know how smart he is."

"Sounds like a perfect gentleman," Eliza chuckled sarcastically. 

Angelica smiled fondly at her.

"He wanted to date me," she said. "But I know it was because he thought we'd look good together. The school's hottest,smartest guy with the school's hottest, smartest girl. We went on one date and he told me I had bedroom eyes and I bitch slapped his ass so hard he won't be in the same room with me anymore."

Alex and Eliza busted out laughing. The three of them started laughing and then Peggy walked up to the porch, dragging a backpack on the ground behind her. Eliza and Angelica explained to her why they were all laughing.

"He sounds dumb," Peggy said. "And how do you get stuck in seaweed?"

She moved to sit between Alex and Eliza on the rocker, but there was no room. She sat on Alex's lap. He pulled her against him and kissed her temple, making her jab him hard in the ribs. He let out a sound between an 'ouch' and a laugh. 

"Careful," Angelica told him. "Didn't you listen to anything I told you? We Schuylers don't take shit from anyone."

"Don't take shit from anyone," Peggy grinned, taking his wrists in her hands and wrapping them around her middle. She commanded, "Rock."

He began rocking the chair with his bare toes. 

Alex stayed there for several hours and they all stayed outside by the backyard pool. Eliza was too shaken to swim and Alex felt too guilty so the two of them sat side by side and watched Angelica and Peggy swim. Once, Alex had called Peggy over to tell her there was something on her back and then he had pushed her into the pool. She had come up sputtering and splashed him mercilessly, flipping him off.

"You're a jerk, Alexander!"  She said. 

"I love you too, Peggy," he called back and Eliza nudged him, laughing.

She finally went inside to get drinks, Peggy trailing after her, and Angelica moved to sit beside him. She kissed his cheek. It almost hurt, that kiss.

"Thank you for being there for Eliza," she said quietly. Alex wasn't sure if she meant the incident from earlier or just in general. He shrugged. It seemed like a safe response.

"Hey." She brushed some of his hair back. "We're okay, right?"

"Yeah," he said, not looking at her. 

"You know that things would be different if they could be," she said.

"Yeah," he said again, his voice smaller. 

"Eliza's going to high school," Angelica said.

"What?" Alex finally looked at her.

"She took an exam last week," Angelica said. "She tested out of eighth grade. She'll be a Freshman like you."

Alex was annoyed that Angelica kept trying to push her sister onto him. It was as if she thought just getting any girl to fill the void would make things right. Didn't she know that he was in love with  _her_ and not the idea of her? Even so, the idea that Eliza would still be with him was nice. He really did like Eliza. She was sweet and kind and he felt she was the kind of person that forgave people of all their mistakes before they ever even made them. 

\----------

Angelica had been right about one thing. Alex didn't know what he wanted. He was restless. He wanted to be out in the world giving speeches. He wanted to lie on Angelica's bed with her and read things with her and discuss literature with her and kiss. He wanted to spend quiet time in his room kissing John and talking about the unfair government and things that could change the unfairness. He wanted to hold and protect Eliza. He never wanted another boy to hurt her. That was a strange new thought for him. After having seen Eliza so little and scared and helpless, he wanted to protect her. He had never wanted to protect anyone before. 

\---------

"Your hair's getting long again," George commented as they did their Saturday morning run together. 

"I think I like it long," Alex said, and George laughed, rubbing his own shaved head.

"Don't rub it in," he said. 

George and Martha had officially adopted Alex. He was their first official child in the eyes of the law. Of course, they were still working on legally adopting the other boys, but Alex felt smug in a way. He was ashamed for feeling smug. He was their family. They were his parents, and like the other boys, testing it on his tongue in secret for weeks in advance, he finally started calling them 'Mom' and 'Dad'. 

"Dad?" He asked as they stopped to take a drink from their water bottles.

"Mmhmm?" George didn't make a show of Alex calling him this. He took a big drink of his water and poured some of it onto his head to cool himself off. 

"How did you know you were in love with Mom?"

George grinned.

"I didn't," he said. "Not until I asked her to marry me."

\--------

Alex loved spending time in the library. He could be alone in comfortable silence, reading books or doing research on his laptop without the loud chaos of the house. He spent almost every other day there, finding a random book to read or writing something. 

He didn't expect to see Thomas Jefferson there in the history section. 

"Hey." Thomas' brows furrowed. "Aren't you that little pipsqueak who almost drowned at the lake?"

"Hey, aren't you that douchebag that got his ass handed to him by Angelica Schuyler?" Alex asked in the same, condescending tone. 

Thomas opened his mouth and then closed it. He opened it again.

"You know Angelica Schuyler?" He asked skeptically.

"That was her sister you pulled out of the water," Alex said, eyebrows raised.

Thomas cleared his throat and kept looking for books. Alex searched along side of him.

"So what grade are you going into?" He asked.

"Freshman," Alex said.

"Junior," Thomas said. 

"Hopefully," Alex said, pulling a book from the shelf. "We'll never run into each other."

 

 

 

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Alex fiddled with the collar on his shirt. He wasn't used to wearing collar shirts, but John and the others had already warned him that on the first day of the new school year, Martha expected the boys to wear them. The new clothes were stiff and itchy, but they were nice. Alex liked their newness. He would never get over things being brand new. 

"Hey there, high school student!" Martha said when Alex entered the kitchen. He was always the first out of the other boys to wake up. 

He managed a half smile and moved past her sideways to get to the coffee pot. His hair was just long enough to put in a ponytail again and as he poured himself his first cup of coffee, Martha moved behind him to remove his sloppily thrown together ponytail and restyle it into a neater one, combing her fingers through his hair. He simply sipped at his coffee as she did so, a wordless exchange.

When she had retied his hair, she leaned her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek, making him smile over his coffee cup.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, kissing him again. 

"Ey!" Hercules said, coming into the kitchen. "Wass all this? Alex getting all the love!"

"All ze love!" Laf said, right behind him. They immediately tore into the platter of scrambled eggs and toast set out on the kitchen table. 

Martha laughed affectionately.

"Come here, my darlings," she said and they moved to embrace her. She kissed their cheeks, having to crane her neck to do so. 

"I'm so proud of you boys," she said, wiping away a few tears. "You're growing up so fast."

"Not fast enough," Aaron said, entering the kitchen. He gave Martha a kiss on the cheek.

"One more year and you'll be finished with high school," she reminded him. "Remind Dad and I to sit down with you about college."

"Already?" Aaron chuckled, moving to the fridge to get the pitcher of juice out. 

"College?" Alex's brows furrowed.

"This big building where kids out of high school go to learn stuff," Aaron teased and Alex rolled his eyes.

"What about college, Alex?" Martha asked, busying herself with her own cup of coffee. 

"You're going to college?" Alex asked Aaron.

"Of course he is!" Martha exclaimed, rubbing Aaron's shoulders. "You will too."

Alex almost laughed until he saw that she was serious. College was talked about on the island, and those who were lucky enough to attend never came back. It was as if a good education in a more urban place required the trade of your life on a small island. 

"I can never afford to go to college," Alex said. It had never even crossed his mind. On the island, you either became a fisherman or a store or restaurant owner. 

"You can more than afford it," Martha said. "Because Dad and I will pay for it. We're not letting this beautiful brain-" she massaged his scalp with her fingertips. "Go to waste."

George called something down the hall about his favorite tie being missing and Martha left the kitchen to assist him.

"College," Alex said quietly. "Shit."

His brothers laughed and repeated in the same shocked tone, "Shit."

\-------

Alex and John walked to school together.  The high school wasn't far and was right next to the middle school they had attended being part of the same private academy. John informed him they were meeting Angelica and Eliza. Alex wasn't sure about that.

"Eliza's gonna be so nervous," John said. "But at least we can all be nervous together, right?"

Angelica and Eliza were as beautiful as ever, dressed extra nice for their first day of school. Alex had a feeling they did it on their own and not because their father made them. Angelica hugged both of them. Eliza hugged them next. She held onto Alex tightly. 

"I'm so nervous," she said, releasing him.

"You'll do fine," John said, tucking some hair behind her ear. 

\---------

Alex was not expecting to run into Thomas Jefferson on his very first day. His first three classes had gone fairly well. He liked his English teacher, who spoke Spanish, Ms. Rosario. He had yet to have any teachers here in the state who spoke Spanish except for the teachers that taught Spanish. She was also very smart, not just teacher smart. She had been teaching at a university and moved down to a high school level, explaining to the class that college students were such know it alls. The class had laughed as she shared some of their dreadful essay openings and funny events that had happened during her lecture. 

Math was okay. He was good at it, but it didn't interest him much. There was beauty in the simplicity of math-how it was one straight shot to the correct answer, but literature and writing was different. It was like driving at night. You didn't know what was in front of you until you got to it. 

Biology was the class he had with Thomas Jefferson. Most freshman took biology, but a few juniors and seniors who had crammed their freshman and sophomore years with extra curricular activities took it last. it was an easy class after all. 

Alex recognized his voice before he ever even came into the room. He turned to see him walking in next to a girl, the two of them laughing and flirting like it was a show. The class was set up with tables instead of desks, two students to a table. Thomas and the girl looked around, noticing there were no seats together. Alex slid off of his stool to offer his seat and move somewhere else, but then a girl from across the room yelled, "Sally! Over here!"

Sally moved to sit with her pal and Thomas was left looking around the room, possibly looking for the nerdiest looking kid who could do all of his work for him. Alex pretended to be busy studying his class schedule. 

"Take a seat right there," the teacher instructed, pointing right at Alex.

Thomas sat next to him, sighing loudly. He looked around. He drummed his fingers on the table top. He finally looked Alex.

"Talk to Angelica lately?" He asked. 

"I talk to her everyday," Alex said, which wasn't totally true, but he wondered if that would make Thomas jealous. 

\-------

Alex ate lunch with Eliza. John and the others had different lunch periods, but Alex didn't mind. He missed eating lunch with her at school. The two ate outside, laughing and sharing stories about their new classes. 

"Everyone is so big here," Eliza said. "I'm overwhelmed." 

Alex grinned, biting into a Taki chip. She stuck her hand in his chip bag and grabbed a handful of the spicy chips, munching on them nervously. 

"You want to come over after school?" He offered. 

"To do what?" She asked, brows furrowed.

Alex shrugged. Eliza nodded.

"Okay," she said.

\---------

High school wasn't so hard. Thomas Jefferson was an ass. He had assumed what Alex had assumed he'd assume. That Alex would do all the work and he'd sit on his phone or flirt with Sally across the room. Alex had put his foot down real quick about that. John had joined the PFLAG group and had become the president almost immediately. Everyone in high school really liked him, but the funny thing was girls still swooned over him, even if he was 'out and proud' now. That's what he called it. Out and Proud. Alex was proud of him. John was strong and smart and cared about things. He should feel proud. 

Hercules and Laf joined the football team and were two of the best players. The Washingtons attended every game, of course, and Alex, John, and Aaron were often dragged along wearing embarrassing matching sweaters or jerseys. Alex had no doubt that college scouts would be seeking them out before they were even seniors. 

Angelica, as smart as ever, was already making future plans for college. She and Alex would take walks or go jogging and she confessed that she wanted to go as far away as possible for school.

"I feel terrible," she said. "Leaving Peggy and Eliza, but I want to go away and be someone other than Philip Schuyler's gifted daughter."

She stopped walking, hugging herself sadly. Alex longed to embrace her, but he knew that he shouldn't. He knew that she couldn't. He took her hand instead and they walked some more, watching the leaves that were starting to turn red and yellow and brown fall on the ground. 

\-------

High school had certainly changed Eliza. She had joined PALS, a club where high school students spent time and entertained underprivileged youth. She had a softness for children and the less fortunate. Alex knew about her love for children because she was always so maternal with Peggy. Maybe, he thought, she got it from Angelica, who was maternal toward both of her sisters. 

Eliza had made lots of friends, and not just in PALS. She had friends that were goths, friends that were tennis players, friends that were paint-spattered raging vegan hippy artists. Eliza was loved by all and Alex felt strangely proud to be her friend. 

\------

"I just can't wait for the summer!" She half growled in excitement as she collapsed onto Alex's bed. "We actually get to go to Mexico and pass out backpacks and school supplies and toys. I can't wait."

Alex chuckled, lying beside her. He took her hand as they stared up at the ceiling. 

"You're going to change the world," he told her. "I just hope I'm there to see it."

Eliza turned her head and smiled at him. 

"Do you really believe that?" She asked. "That I'll change the world?"

Alex frowned. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because Angelica's going to make the real difference," she said in a small voice. "She's going to solve world peace or something." 

"You're going to do something too," Alex told her, turning on his side to face her. 

Eliza let out a long, shuddering sigh, rolling back onto her back. She was blinking back tears. Alex sat up.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said.

Before Alex could push the matter, John came into the room hooting and hollering, stripping his t-shirt off and yelling out the bedroom door to Laf and Herc. They were arguing about a sports game score. 

"Rude!" Alex told him, but he was joking.

Eliza laughed a little.

"What's all this?" John asked, stepping out of his jeans. He dug around in the closet for more relax-worthy clothes. "Alex and Eliza all laid up in bed chillin'. Without John Laurens."

Eliza laughed again and said, "Come lay with us."

"Girl, you ain't gotta tell me twice," he said, pulling on a pair of cotton shorts before collapsing in between them, kissing both of their cheeks. 

"Eliza's going to change the world," Alex told him.

"I hear that," John said. 

\-----------

Halloween was just around the corner. Thomas Jefferson wouldn't shut up about the party he was throwing. He talked about all of the liquor that would be there, the lack of parental supervision, and he made it a point to talk about it in front of Alex, who was not invited.

"I'll bet you've never even been to party," he said out of the blue, after inviting some random kid in biology. 

"Nope," Alex said, unashamed as he studied his biology notes. 

Thomas shook his head. 

"You know what?" He said. "I'm gonna invite you. I wanna see if you actually do anything other than almost drown girls in lakes and not share your notes when your lab partner was sick the night before."

Alex looked up.

"Not interested," he said, going back to his notebook.

\---------

There was a new kid at school. A high school junior. He was from England. George King. 

Alex didn't think much of him. He didn't have any classes with him, but he certainly knew which one he was because there was only one British kid in the whole school. He was okay looking, straight nose, light eyes, thick hair. Girls swooned over him as much as they swooned over John. 

Alex hadn't counted on Eliza swooning as well. 

"George is so funny at the PALS meetings," she said for the hundredth time that week as she and Alex ate lunch. "And he's so good with the kids, especially the little ones. They love for him to make them laugh."

"Uh huh." Alex nibbled on his apple, hardly hungry anymore. 

"Thomas Jefferson invited him to his party," she said, lowering her voice, her eyes glittering, her cheeks pink. "George asked me to go with him."

\-------

"I'll go to your dumb party," Alex told Thomas the following morning. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Thomas asked, deliberately turning all the way around on his stool to face him.

"Your party," Alex said. "I wanna go."

"The invitation expired," Thomas said, grinning. "Sorry."

Alex sighed through gritted teeth. Wordlessly, he took out his homework that was due (that he know Thomas didn't bother doing) and slid it across the table. Thomas looked at it and then at Alexander. 

"I'll text you the address," he said, taking the homework. 

\------

It was no surprise that Aaron, Hercules, and Laf had also been invited to the party. Parties were a regular part of Herc and Laf's life now. High school was practically one big party for them, now that they knew they would breeze into any university they wanted on a football scholarship.

The brothers talked it about all week, talking about what they were going to dress as, who was going to be there, what kind of music would be playing...John's entire PFLAG brigade was going. They were all dressing as characters from musicals. Lafayette and Hercules were going as Mario and Luigi. John was the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera. Alex had never planned on wearing a costume until Peggy heard the news.

"You have to wear a costume!" She demanded. "It's Halloween!"

Peggy helped him throw together a pirate costume which was a good middle ground for both of them. He got to wear most of his own clothes, but she tied a bright purple bandana around his head and one of her  clip-on hoop earrings from before she had her ears pierced. She carefully drew a beard on him with makeup (and gave him eyeliner despite his protests). Angelica and Eliza squealed like dolphins when they saw him.

"Ooh!" Angelica laughed and Alex turned red, rolling his eyes. "You look precious!"

"I'm gonna kill you, Peggy," he muttered.

"I love you too, Ali," she said in a fake lovey-dovey voice. 

\-------

George and Martha took a million pictures before they all piled into Aaron's car to head to the party. Aaron was dressed as a Facebook wall, having designed it sandwich-board style. 

"You look adorable, Alex," he said, laughing. 

"Peggy did it," Alex grumbled. 

\-----

Thomas Jefferson's house was enormous. Not as big as the Schuyler mansion, but close in size. Several cars were parked, so many that Aaron had to park almost a block away. He disappeared once Theodosia found them. She was dressed as Cleopatra, beautiful and mysterious as always, and she smiled at his brothers before whisking him away. Hercules and Laf were next, being found by some of their fellow football (and now D&D) friends. John smiled at Alex, looking him up and down.

"I know!" Alex sighed. "I look fucking ridiculous."

"You look great, Man," John said, laughing. "C'mere."

He took Alex by the hand and dragged him off to the gate that led to the backyard. It was open, and the heated pool was filled with laughing teenagers who had either abandoned their costumes or simply not worn one. John pulled Alex over to a dark patch where the colorful outdoor lights didn't shine. 

"What?" Alex asked.

John kissed him, which surprised Alex. They hadn't kissed in a long time. Alex kissed him back, partly because he didn't know what else to do and partly because he missed it. After they broke apart, John said, "I'm gonna go find my crew. You good?"

"Yeah..." Alex said, clearing his throat. 

John pecked him again and disappeared, leaving Alex confused. He continued on and found Angelica and Eliza. Angelica was dressed as an angel, a long white gown with wings and a halo above her bouncy, beautiful curls. Eliza was dressed in a colonial style gown with her hair fixed up in some kind of loose bun. 

"You look beautiful," Alex said.

"Which one?" Angelica teased.

"Both of you," Alex said, but he surprised himself. He was looking at Eliza. 

She smiled at him, biting her bottom lip and said, "I didn't know what else to dress like."

"Betsey?" 

George King approached, dressed as a king, of course. He looked at Alex, studying him as if trying to figure out who he was or how he knew him. 

"This is Alexander," Eliza informed him. 

"Oh, right," he said, grinning and extending his hand. "Eliza's mentioned you."

Alex shook his hand. 

"Are you alright?" George asked Eliza in a low voice, and it stirred something in Alex. Something unpleasant. 

"I'm fine," Eliza said.

"You look cold. Here." George removed his ridiculous faux-fur cloak and wrapped it around her, rubbing her arms through the deep red fabric. 

She laughed, a little nervously, and he did too. 

"Um, I'm gonna go look for my brothers," he said gesturing to nothing in particular.

"Alex-" Angelica said, but he walked away.

\---------

Alex found himself wandering through the large house. There was food everywhere, and a music-a DJ. A live DJ for crying out loud! Kids were making out on every surface or having drinking contests. It was almost embarrassing and he wasn't participating in any of it. 

"No." 

Alex turned around from watching two girls squeal and hug one another. Thomas Jefferson stood before him in a pirate costume. Of course, his was much more elaborate, carefully crafted, but still.

"Argh matey," Alex said in a flat voice.

"You're kidding," Thomas huffed, shaking his head. "I'll be damned."

Alex couldn't help but grin. 

"My makeup's better," he said, crossing his arms.

"Let me see," Thomas said, leaning down and in. "Well, fuck, you're right."

"Peggy Schuyler's a born artist," Alex said, and they both started laughing. 

"You're alright, Hamilton," Thomas said. "You want a beer?"

"Sure." Alex followed him into the kitchen.

"I'm gonna stop being so lazy," Thomas said, getting a bottle of beer and opening it with the tail of his pirate blouse. "I won't copy your notes anymore."

"You're a senior," Alex said. "And you make decent grades. I opened up your binder once and read one of your essays."

"You want?" Thomas asked, brows furrowed.

"You're smart," Alex said, taking a drink of his beer. It burned his throat and tasted awful. "I don't like this."

Thomas laughed. Alex laughed too. He looked around and asked, "Do you smoke?"

To his relief, Thomas knew he wasn't talking about cigarettes. He grinned at Alex and said, "Let's go find Jemmy."

\--------

It was strange, Alex thought, for Thomas to be missing his own party. The two of them sat in Thomas's car, windows down, passing a joint back and forth. Thomas watched Alex inhale, exhale, and pass. 

"It's kind of nice," he said. "Not to be entertaining tonight."

Alex shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I don't entertain much."

He leaned comfortably into his seat.

"You have a lot of friends," he pointed out.

Thomas laughed, shaking his head.

"One," he corrected him. "I have one friend. James. The rest are just..."

Alex waited.

"They wouldn't like me so much if I didn't have so much money."

"Where are your parents anyway?" Alex asked.

"France," Thomas said. "They do a lot of business there, spend a good portion of the year there."

He took another drag. "Sounds like the life, right? Endless money and parties and no parental supervision?"

Alex recognized the sadness in his voice behind the flat humor. 

"I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it. 

Thomas took another drag and looked at him. 

"Maybe you are a better pirate," he said after several long seconds of silence. 

 

 

To Be Continued... 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attempted assault in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but just a heads up. I'm glad people are actually enjoying this fic.

After Halloween, things seemed different between Alex and Thomas. They weren't friends, necessarily, but they didn't hate each other anymore either. Thomas began taking his own notes in biology and made small talk with Alex during class. Sometimes they would smoke together after school, often sitting in Thomas' car passing a joint lazily back and forth between them, talking about things Alex didn't normally share with people. It was strange. He didn't even Thomas that well, and was willing to tell him how much he missed his mother. How much he resented his father. One late dark and rainy afternoon, he even told Thomas his biggest secret. 

"I think I'm like my father," he said quietly, exhaling a cloud of marijuana smoke just as Thomas took the joint from his lips and placed it in between his own. 

"How do you figure?" Thomas asked.

"I think one day I'll mess up really big and not realize it because I'm a fucking asshole," Alex said. "That's what scares me the most."

Thomas stared at him. Normally John or Eliza or Angelica would hold him, tell him he's wrong, console him. Thomas did none of those things, and Alex liked that. 

"At some point in our lives," he said, opening the door to fan some of the smell out. "We all mess up big and don't realize it."

Alex realized that he liked Thomas, but he would never say that out loud. Thomas' ego was too big.

\-------

Eliza started going out with George. Alex wasn't really surprised, but he was jealous, even though he knew he had no right to be. George seemed to come around a lot more. He sat with them outside on the concrete bench at lunch. He called when Eliza would be at the park with Alex and John and then she would leave mouthing an apologetic 'sorry'. Sometimes when John invited Alex and Eliza to PFLAG events or Laf and Hercules invited them to a football game, George would be there. 

Alex hated the way he touched Eliza. He would always take her hand and put it in his coat pocket like he was saving it for later. He rubbed her arms with his hands. He was constantly petting her hair, whispering things into her ear. 

John took notice of his dislike of all of the PDA and suggested they go back to kissing. 

"Why did you kiss me at Halloween?" Alex asked instead of saying yes or no.

The two of them were doing their homework together on John's bed, snug and cozy against the late fall rain and sleet wearing their hoodies, pajama pants and socks. John tapped his pen against his head. 

"I dunno," he said truthfully. "I just felt like it." 

That was the kind of person John was. He just did things because he felt like it. He said things because they sounded right. 

"So do you want to?" He asked. "Kiss I mean?"

"You don't find it weird?" Alex asked, lying back. John, still sitting cross-legged next to him, picked a loose thread from Alex's pants. 

"What? Kissing?" John asked.

"Kissing me," Alex replied. 

John shrugged one shoulder. "Not really. I like kissing you."

He leaned down and kissed him, and Alex responded, though he wasn't sure why. He did like kissing John. His mouth was like coming home. John pulled away briefly and asked, "Do you wanna kiss Eliza now?"

"I think so," Alex muttered with a sigh. He covered his face with his hands. "I've been such a jerk to her. She's done nothing but care about me and be nice to me and now she's happy with some dude and I don't want her to be happy."

"That's not true," John said in with faux-exasperation. "You just want her to be happy with you."

"Maybe she deserves this guy," Alex said, uncovering his eyes. "Maybe he really is some kind of prince."

\--------

Alex learned about kissing from John. He also learned about sex from John. 

It was late one night and they both couldn't sleep. Sometimes they slept in the same bed now, lazily making out with each other or just cuddling, but Alex always went back to his own bed. John's kissing became more over time. He really started kissing, all over Alex's body and eventually had gotten his shirt off. Alex didn't know much about sex. He knew the basics, but John taught him that someone else touching you was a lot different than yourself. 

"What are you doing?" Alex hissed, even though nobody else in the house could hear them.

John removed his hand from Alex's pants.

"Dude, you're hard," John said.

"Yeah." Alex stared at him.

"Do you want me to take care of that?" John asked, eyebrows raised.

"No." Alex climbed out of John's bed. He ran his hands through his hair. "Look, kissing is one thing, but-"

"But what?" John sat up, leaning back on his hands. "Alex, I like you."

Alex turned red. "You...like me?"

"You think I'd have my hands down your pants if I didn't?" John asked. He patted the bed. "Look, if you're not cool with that, I'll leave it alone, but you can still lay here if you want."

Alex hesitated. 

"Will you tell anyone?"

Alex would never forget that night. 

\---------

Alex stayed after school for debate club often. He had joined late, but the debate teacher was ecstatic because he was a natural at it. One afternoon as he was leaving the club classroom, he heard a familiar voice. Eliza's voice. His heart jumped a little. He followed the sound to the room down the hall and how could he have forgotten that it was the PALS club room? He stopped just short of entering when he heard another voice. An obnoxious English accent attached. 

"I just don't understand," he heard George say. "We've been going together for months now."

Eliza sniffled. What was wrong? Was she finally getting rid of that English garbage?

"I told you," she said. "I'm just not ready."

There was a long silent pause. Alex waited, only feeling slightly guilty for eavesdropping.

"George?" Eliza sounded less sniffly now, more...something else. "George!"

A desk moved. 

"George, stop!"

"Eliza, come on." George chuckled. "Just a touch, that's all I'm asking. You'll know how good I can make you feel."

Eliza let out a half scream and that's all it took. Alex tore into the classroom, abandoning his backpack in the hallway. George and Eliza were on the floor, George's legs on either side of her waist, her jeans partially open and George's hands...

Alex saw red. 

He didn't remember even getting on top of George. He could vaguely make out voices and sounds, but he never remembered strong arms wrap around him, pulling him back. He didn't remember the handcuffs. 

Handcuffs?

\---------

"Are you alright?" Martha asked, running into the small office in the school, taking her face in his hands. 

Alex had been detained by the school liaison officer and brought to the office. His hands were no longer cuffed, but were placed on his lap. There was blood on his knuckles. There was blood on his shirt. The principal, vice principal, school officer, and another officer were in the small room with him. 

"Oh my God," Martha breathed, kissing him in front of everyone. "Alexander."

"The other boy was taken to the ER," the principal said. "His father came and got him, but I imagine he'll be back, Mrs. Washington."

"What happened?" Martha ignored him and looked at Alex. "Dearheart, tell me."

Alex's dark eyes met hers and his heart was filled with love and shame. He had done something terrible. He was coming back to Earth, putting the pieces together in his head. George. George's hand. Eliza. 

Eliza.

"Eliza," he said. 

"What about Eliza?" Martha asked.

"Where is he?" Alex growled.

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Where is that son of a bitch?" Alex stood up, the plastic chair he was sitting in falling over.

"Hey!" One of the officers warned.

The principal's cell phone rang and he answered it, nodding to to the vice principal. 

"Mr. King is here," he said. 

Soon another man entered, hot and furious screaming about his son's broken nose and stitches. Martha stood partially in front of Alex, and was equally heated. 

"My son would never harm another student unless something was wrong!" She touched Alex's shoulder. "I suggest you ask your son what happened."

"My son?" Mr. King laughed, even though nothing was funny. "My son who had to have stitches? Who broke his nose? Who is so beat you can hardly recognize him? That son?"

"Yes!" Martha barked, silencing him. 

Mr. King looked at Alex. 

"My son and his girlfriend were kissing in one of the classrooms," he said. "George told me that your son has feelings for this girl, saw them and attacked my boy."

"Bullshit!" Martha yelled. Alex had never seen her like this.

"Mrs. Washington-" the vice principal started, but then George Washington entered the office and everyone seemed to feel his presence before they turned around and acknowledged him.

He looked at Alex and then at Martha.

"Is he alright?" He asked.

"A little cut near his eyebrow," Martha said, slowly returning to her sweet, motherly self. "A busted lip. Maybe a few bumps and bruises."

"Oh, because THAT'S a problem," Mr. King snorted. 

"Hey!" George barked. He knelt down and motioned for Alex to come forward, inspecting the damage. 

"This...delinquent should not be at this school!" Mr. King told the principal. "I've heard that he's been in fights before. He probably steals and does drugs too. Hell, he probably sells them to the other students!"

"Mr. Franklin," George said to the principal. "I want you to know that Philip Schuyler is down at the station filing a police report."

Martha's brows furrowed. "What happened?"

George looked at Mr. King.

"Eliza told her father that George King assaulted her."

Everyone was silent. 

"Is she alright?" Alex asked in a hoarse voice. He was still trembling with anger. George noticed his shaking.

"She's fine, Son," he said gently. "She's at home. She's with her sisters."

Alex burst into tears. George held him, letting him cry. The principals looked at one another and then at Mr. King.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. To the Washingtons he said, "You'll be hearing from my attorney, I promise you that."

George and Martha said nothing as he stormed out of the room, already on his phone. The visiting officer sighed and said, "He did beat the kid up pretty bad."

"I want to see her," Alex said, pulling back. "I need to know she's alright."

Even though the memory was blurry, Alex would never forget the sheer look of terror on Eliza's face. The tears in her eyes. The helplessness. 

\--------

When the Washingtons returned home, Hercules, Lafayette, John, and Aaron were waiting in the dining room with worried expressions. Embarrassed, tired, and tear-stained, Alexander averted their gaze. 

"Go wash up," George said softly, kissing his forehead. "You're okay, Son. Everything's okay."

John followed Alex up the stairs. 

"Eliza called," was all he said before George barked at him to leave Alex alone.

\------

Alex went to see Eliza later that evening. Her father told him how how much he appreciated him. Peggy asked if he knocked out any of George's teeth. Angelica simply looked at him as he went to Eliza's room without saying anything. 

Eliza was already in her pajamas, lying on her bed, holding a worn doll. It looked like something a five-year old would take to bed. He knocked on her open door frame before entering the room.

"Hi," he said in a small voice.

Eliza looked at him. She had also been crying. Alex closed the door quietly behind him.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Eliza asked.

"I heard about George," Alex told her. "About his broken nose and stitches. I didn't mean to...to do all that."

'But I did', he thought darkly. 

Eliza patted the spot next to her. Alex crawled up and sat beside her. 

"My mother made me this doll," she said. "I don't remember her much, but apparently she sewed."

Alex nodded. 

"Alex..." she said quietly, fingering the yarn on the doll's head. "I think had you not shown up..."

She swallowed hard.

"I think he would have raped me," she said quietly. 

Alex embraced her and she began to cry into his jacket. She cried for a long time, and Alex held her until she cried herself to sleep. 

\--------

George King didn't return to school. Alex didn't get in trouble. Time went on and the wet sleet turned to snow. 

One week before Christmas, Alex kissed Eliza. 

The two of them had been walking in the park, hand in hand, as they did often now. Eliza slipped on a patch of ice and Alex knelt down to help her up. She didn't wince or cry. She laughed. He laughed too, and then he took her cold face in his hands and he kissed her. Kissing Eliza was the sweetest thing he'd ever experienced. She kissed him back and they stayed on the sidewalk for several minutes kissing.

 

To Be Continued...

 

 


	7. NOT A CHAPTER

I'm so sorry, but not really a chapter. I just need to know because I did not expect this story to get this far. Who do you guys want Alexander to end up with in the end? 


	8. Chapter 8

Alex remembered his mother used to say bad things came in trios. Alex didn't believe it, but right after New Years Day, something bad happened, and Alex couldn't help but wonder if two more things were to follow. 

New Years Eve had been wonderful, maybe the best he'd ever experienced. He'd attended the Washington's New Years Eve party, of courses, where everyone dressed up and tons of people he didn't know wandered around the house with finger food and glasses of champagne. Alex didn't really know what to do except sit on the sofa picking at a loose thread in his dress pants. Hercules and Lafayette were walking around sampling cocktail sausages and braised quail and fruit skewers (and of course the chocolate fountain). Aaron and Theodosia were holed up in his room. John was talking to everyone, the social butterfly that he was, charming the politicians and their spouses. They all cupped his cheek and commented to George and Martha what a good boy he was. Alex smirked every time he heard that. 

"Yo." John collapsed next to him on the couch, a glass of champagne in his hand. He offered it to Alex.

Alex took a small sip and passed it back. John set it on the end table next to the sofa. 

"Eliza's still not here yet?" John asked, looking around. 

"Not yet," Alex said. "But they throw their own family party, remember?"

"Shit, let's go get her," John said. "She's probably dying of boredom like we are."

Alex grinned and allowed John to tug him off the couch. They made their way through the crowd, but George took hold of Alex's shoulder.

"Here he is," he told some stuffy suit standing next to him. "My youngest."

John snickered and Alex shot him a look. 

"He's the, uh, the one you got from the hurricane island, right?" The suit said in an annoying southern accent. 

"Um...not exactly-"

"Yes," Alex said. He knew that had embarrassed his father, but he wanted him to know he was okay with ignorant people. He was bigger than that. 

"He speaks English?" The man's eyebrows went up.

John laughed and then covered his mouth. Alex glared at him, but was trying hard not to grin. 

"Yes, he speaks English just fine," George said, looking at John who was covering his mouth, his shoulders going up and down as he laughed behind his hand silently. 

"Get out of here, you two," George said, dismissing them.

John dragged Alex away out the front door and clapped loudly as he finally erupted into laughter.

" 'He speaks English'?" He imitated in a poor southern accent. "What a dumbass."

"I should have said 'No, I don't speak English'," Alex said.

"In English," John said, pointing at him, and they both laughed then.

John checked his phone and said, "Eliza texted me 'HELP. SOS'. We need to go get your girl, Bro. She's in distress."

\----

Eliza looked absolutely beautiful in her black and gold dress. When she spotted John and Alex from across the ballroom, she waved them over, jumping up and down a little. She was surrounded by other girls, most likely the daughters of other millionaires. They looked John and Alex up and down, a question on their faces they dared not ask. 

"This is Alexander," Eliza said, taking Alex's hand and he raised their conjoined hands to kiss hers. "And John."

"A pleasure, ladies," John said, bowing a little and taking one of the girls' hand and kissed it. 

The girls all exchanged new looks and Alex knew what those looks meant. John was...what did Hercules call it? A chick magnet. 

"You look very handsome," Eliza said quietly and Alex mouthed 'thank you' before leaning in to kiss her. 

"So he's your boyfriend?" One of the girls asked. 

Eliza nodded proudly. 

"He's cute," one of the others giggled. 

The girl that John was holding hands with asked if he wanted to take a break. He grinned at Alex and Eliza and said, "You two have fun."

Before he left, he leaned in and kissed Eliza's cheek, whispering, "you look great, Liz."

Alex watched them go and asked Eliza, "You wanna get outta here?"

Eliza nodded and allowed him to lead her away from the crowd. He walked past her father, who nodded at him approvingly. Mr. Schuyler really did like him. They went outside by the pool where Peggy, in full dress, tights and heels, was chasing some of the boys around with a worm she'd picked up from the grass. 

"I'm glad you came," Eliza said. "My father doesn't even like these people."

She leaned in and said, "And women are always trying to woo him."

"Will he ever marry again?" Alex asked, sitting down by the edge of the pool. 

Eliza sat beside him and he pulled her against him.

"I don't think so," she said. "He told us that my mother really was 'the one' and he's never looked twice at another woman."

"Wow," Alex said.

"I know," Eliza said. "He believes in true love. Isn't that crazy?"

Before Alex could answer, Peggy approached them with the worm and crouched down to put it in Alex's hand. He stared at it, fat and wiggling in his palm. Peggy grinned at him. 

"Some of the boys are scared of it," she said. 

"Peggy," Eliza said fondly. "You're twelve now. You need to stop chasing boys with worms."

"Twelve year old boys act like they belong in a zoo," Peggy said, flipping her hair. She was still skinny and shapeless with a round face, now flushed from all of her running. 

"Where's John?" She asked, looking around. "He's actually fun."

"That hurt," Alex said teasingly, tossing the worm back into the grass. "I'm fun too."

She got up and walked away calling for John. Eliza laughed and then asked, "Where did John take Celestina anyway? I mean, I know what she's thinking is going to happen, but what are they really doing?"

Alex exhaled through his teeth and leaned back on his hands. 

"Um..." he wriggled is toes inside of his uncomfortable shoes. "Well, John likes boys."

"Yeah." Eliza nodded. "I know."

"But he's...what did he call it? Sex positive. He likes sex. A lot."

"So are they going...?" Eliza looked toward the house.

"No." Alex laughed. "But he might let her...do stuff..."

Eliza laughed, covering her mouth. Alex laughed too. They laughed for a good minute or so.

"So, um..." She tucked some hair behind her ear. "I don't want to pry."

Alex looked at her, puzzled.

"Do you and John ever...?" She turned red.

Alex turned red too.

"Um..." he said. It completely caught him off guard.

"It's okay," Eliza said, holding up her hands.

It was? 

Alex blinked. This was confusing.

"John told me you two are just friends, but he might have alluded to..." she said and Alex covered his face, groaning.

"Eliza, I'm sorry," he said. "It's not what you-it's not like that-"

"Alexander," she said softly, touching his hand. "It's really okay."

He uncovered his face. Eliza was smiling softly. 

"Angelica taught me some things," she said. "She knows about people and the world and...I'm okay with it."

"I haven't kissed him since I started seeing you," he admitted, and she kissed him. 

"Did you guys bring any weed?" She asked, pulling him up with her. 

\----------

New Years Day was spent at home. Martha cooked a large meal and George and the boys played D&D (Alex wasn't so terrible at it anymore) and video games and Aaron brought out a deck of cards. George and Aaron already knew how to play, but they taught the younger boys how to play Poker. Alex picked up on it first and soon he was winning.

"It's not fair," Hercules said. "He has the best poker face."

"It's a shame the Schuylers decided not to come," Martha said, entering the living room. "We have so much food."

"Well, Peggy got sick," Alex explained. "They said she was throwing up all night."

"I just wish we had someone to invite to dinner," Martha said, walking back to the kitchen. Over her shoulder she called, "Gilbert, Dearest, come reach the good china at the top of the cabinet."

Alex was still holding his cards, but he was light years away. He set his cards down and ran into the kitchen.

"I could invite someone," he told Martha. 

\------

Alex closed his bedroom door as he listened to slow 'bring, bring, bring' on the phone. 

"Hello?" A flat voice answered.

"Thomas?"

There was silence. Alex glanced at his phone screen to make sure the call hadn't dropped. 

"Alexander?" 

"What are you doing?" He asked. How stupid could he sound.

"I'm finishing up an assignment for English," Thomas said. "Why are you calling?"

"Would you, uh, like to come over for dinner? My parents made way too much food."

More silence.

"Um..." Thomas said. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid, Alex thought. Thomas probably thought he was nuts.

"Sure...I guess...what time?"

\-----

Everyone seemed surprised when Thomas Jefferson showed up with a store-bought cake. He shrugged as he passed it to Martha. 

"My mother always says to bring food to a dinner party," he explained. 

"Thank you, Thomas," Martha said. "I had no idea you and Alex were friends."

"We're lab partners," Alex said quickly, looking at Thomas. 

"You're in Aaron's grade, right?" George asked. 

"Yes, Sir, I'm a junior," Thomas replied, nodding. He looked around, unsure of where to sit.

"You play Poker?" John asked.

"I do," Thomas said. "Well, online, but I know how to play."

Thomas made the game a lot more fun. He was a pro. Soon they were all talking and scolding each other and laughing. Alex smiled. He liked this. 

"Dinner, boys!" Martha called. "Wash up first."

Thomas followed Alex upstairs to the bathroom. The two of them didn't say anything. They washed their hands and started back down the stairs. 

"Your parents are nice," Thomas said.

"Yeah," Alex said.

\--------

After dinner, Alex dragged Thomas outside and they went to the park. It was freezing and there was ice on the sidewalk so they had to walk in the grass which was frosted with snow. 

"How's Sally?" Alex asked, unsure of what else to say.

"I'm not sure," Thomas said awkwardly. "We don't talk much."

"Oh." Alex didn't know what to say after that. 

"How's Eliza?" Thomas asked.

"Wonderful," Alex said. 

"She seems to really fawn over you," Thomas said. 

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat. 

"There's a girl who goes to PS #5, her name is Martha," he said. "I met her at the coffee shop on West Main Street."

"Oh?" Alex looked at him. "Is she nice?"

"Look." Thomas fished his phone out and showed Alex a picture of a girl with brown skin, long dark hair past her waist in a braid, wearing a school sweatshirt. Her eyes were bright green and her lipstick was bright pink. 

"She's pretty," Alex said. 

Thomas grinned. 

"My parents would kill me if they knew I was talking to a girl in public school," he admitted. "She wants to go to culinary school in Boston."

Alex smiled, letting Thomas go on and on about Martha and her neighborhood catering business and her dreams of culinary school and her dog, Bacon, and her millions of little brothers and sisters who Thomas was scared of at first but now he adored. 

"I want a lot of kids," he laughed. "A whole fuckin' litter of them."

"It's lonely when you're an only child," Alex said. "I was a pseudo-only child for years."

They made their way to the middle of the park and stopped, having nowhere else to walk. Thomas slapped Alex on the shoulder. 

"You're a good guy, Alex," he said.

\------------

The first bad thing happened the following day. Alex was still on a cloud of bliss having stepped into the new year with kissing Eliza, being with his family, and knowing that Thomas was with other people and not all alone doing homework. Thomas had confessed that dinner plans that night were sandwiches on paper towels eaten at his desk by his laptop. 

The day was wet and icy and gray and nobody wanted to go anywhere. Alex stayed in his pajamas and worked on his winter break assignments from the comfort of his bed listening to Spanish rap. He only left his bedroom to eat lunch (leftovers from New Years dinner) and to help George and the other boys take down and put away the large Christmas tree. 

It was beginning to get late in the evening when Martha asked about John. He had left early in the afternoon to go visit some friends from PFLAG, but no one had heard from him.

"It's getting dark out," Martha said. "George, call him."

George called him. The boys texted him. Nobody got a response. 

"He's gonna get an earful when he gets in," George said. 

"John knows better," Martha pointed out, a worried expression crossing her face. "He always calls."

The next few hours crawled by, everyone checking their phones every few minutes, calling John. Aaron and the boys bundled up and piled into Aaron's car to go drive around looking for him. 

"He probably fell asleep at some dude's house," Hercules said, but he didn't even sound like he was convinced.

"John is good at taking care of himself," Laf reminded them. "I don't think anything bad happened to him, no?"

"If he's alright," Aaron said. "George is going to really let him have it."

They didn't like the 'if'. 

\------

The police came around ten o'clock. Martha finally couldn't stand it and called them, but they weren't a lot of help.

"A teenage boy being gone ins't unusual," one of the officers said. "Especially a kid like him. You said he's a foster, right? He has a record of running from foster homes."

"He's lived here since he was twelve years old!" Martha barked. "We're not a daycare! This is John's home. I'm his mother!" She began to cry. George held her.

"We'll put out an Amber Alert," the other officer told her, sounding indifferent. "But he's a runner. He might've just run off."

After they left, Alex and the others listened to Martha cry. George motioned for them to go upstairs. Alex followed Aaron into the room that he and John shared. 

"You know any of his friends' numbers?" Aaron asked, digging through John's dresser drawer. 

Alex shook his head. 

"This might be really bad, Alex," Aaron warned him. "This isn't like John."

"I know," Alex said.

\---------

The call came in around three in the morning. Alex, who was wide awake sitting on his bed, heard Martha and George turning on lights and moving around looking for car keys. All of the boys tripped over each other getting downstairs.

"Did they find him?" Laf asked. 

"He's in the hospital," George said, sounding scared. He quickly shrugged his coat on. 

"What?" Aaron frowned. "What happened?"

"We're not sure," George said, giving Martha's hand a squeeze as she wept. "We'll call you boys as soon as we know something."

\-------

It was daylight the next day when George returned home. Alex dutifully started coffee for him, watching as his father dragged himself to the sofa and sat down. The other boys waited for him to tell them what happened. 

"He's alive," George said. "It was a pretty close call, though. He was beat up. He was stabbed."

"Stabbed?" Aaron asked loudly. "By who?"

George rubbed at his eyes in a tired fashion. 

"He was with another boy in the wrong part of town," he said. "Where he used to live, I think. They were kissing. Some other boys saw them and took them somewhere. They hurt them. John has a lot bruises and cuts, a few broken ribs. They stabbed him twice. Luckily they missed vital organs."

Nobody said anything. George started to cry. Not one of them had ever seen him cry.

"God, seeing him like that..." he wept, frantically wiping at his eyes. "John's so little in that bed, all those wires and tubes..."

Hercules began swearing loudly, pounding one fist into his open palm. Aaron stood by silently, as if trying to process everything. Alex moved to sit beside his father. Laf moved to his other side. 

"Not my little boy," George said in a broken voice, and Alex wondered if he was even aware of their presence anymore. 

Lafayette murmured something in French, taking his hand. 

"Where's Mom?" Aaron asked. 

"She's at the hospital with him," George said. "You know her. She's not going to leave his side."

They all laughed weakly. Martha was a very stubborn woman when it came to her family. George took some deep breaths and regained composure. 

"We're lucky he's alive," he said, nodding slowly. "We're very lucky."

\--------

Alex wasn't sure who told them, but the Schuyler sisters showed up after George had returned to the hospital. Eliza and Peggy were crying. Angelica embraced each of the boys and didn't hesitate to embrace Alex tightly. 

"Who did it though?" Peggy bawled as Lafayette picked her up like she was two instead of twelve. "Who hurt him?"

"Peggy, it doesn't matter," Angelica told her, finding a Kleenex to wipe her face. 

"It does matter!" Peggy sobbed. "I want to hurt them back!"

"John's strong," Eliza said. "He'll pull through. Remember that time he got hit by that cyclist on the street and broke his arm?"

Alex hadn't arrived yet so he did not remember. The others nodded. 

"Ya'll should have seen what his old man did to him," Hercules said. "John ain't no lightweight. Eliza's right. He'll pull through."

\----------

The boys finally FINALLY got to see John. His room was dark and he did look small in the bed, connected to various wires. He was awake, but his eyes were bruised and clouded. 

"Hey, Man," Hercules said softly, like there was a sleeping infant in the room. 

John smiled slightly. 

"The whole gang is here," Aaron teased. "But we didn't bring you any flowers."

"Good," John rasped out. "They make me sneeze and if I sneeze my stitches would pop and then we'd really be up shit's creek."

They all laughed quietly. John looked right at Alex, exchanging smiles that were only for each other. 

"Who did it?" Alex asked and the others looked at him.

"Alexander," Martha said sharply, but Alex didn't care if he got in trouble. 

"Who hurt you?" He asked. 

John shook his head. 

"Some dudes," he said. "I used to know them. It's...it's nothing, Ali...don't worry 'bout it."

He sighed and asked, "You guys mind if I talk to Alex alone?"

The others nodded, but Martha acted like she didn't want to leave. Aaron took her by the arm and led her out.  Alex moved closer and John extended his hand. Alex took it.

"Man, I'm in a lot of pain," he said. "But I like Morphine. Dude, we gotta score some of this shit."

Alex managed a half smile, running his fingers over the tape on John's hand. 

"I might die," he said.

"Don't be dramatic," Alex told him.

"Okay, I might have died," John said. "Happy?"

"No." Alex frowned. "I'm not happy. You're in a hospital bed. You got stabbed."

"Alex, I've been bothered by you and Eliza," John said.

"What?" Alex's brows furrowed.

"I know we fool around and shit, but I think I might...I dunno...have feelins' for you or something," John said. "I thought maybe hookin' up with guys I used to hook up with could fix that. When I was bleedin' all over the floor in that nasty-ass house, all I could think about was you."

"You're really high on Morphine," Alex said. 

"I want you to be with Eliza," John said. "I do. She's great, Man. If I was wired that way, I'd want her to be my girl. I just need you to know that if you wired differently, I'd want you to be my boy."

Alex smiled a little and could feel tears brimming in his eyes.

"You're full of shit, Laurens," he said in a shaky voice. 

"In case I die," John said, grinning a little. "I just need you to know that."

"Okay," Alex said.

He did the only thing that seemed right at that moment. He leaned down and touched his lips to John's. It seemed like John was trying really hard to give him a proper kiss, but it was sloppy and seemed to take a lot of effort on his part. When Alex pulled away he asked, "Do you need anything?"

"Nah, Man, I'm good," John said. "You can send everyone back in here."

\----------

It ate at Alex for days. John had feelings for him. He had only thought of Alex while he was bleeding to death. He finally confessed this to Eliza. 

"I kissed John," he told her as they laid together on her bed. "At the hospital."

Eliza didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. 

"Do you like kissing me?" She asked, rolling onto her side.

"More than anything," he replied.

"Then I don't have a problem with you kissing John," she said. "I like John."

"I like him too," Alex said. "But I think..."

He turned red.

"You think what?" She asked, stroking some of his hair.

"I think I love you," he said, his big dark eyes full of worry. Was it too soon to say that?

Eliza kissed him then, long and deep and she had never kissed him like this and Alex had never experienced Eliza like this. 

"My Alexander," she said, pulling away, kissing his neck this time. 

"Your Alexander," he said, grinning, taking her hand from his shoulder and kissing it. 

 

To Be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Alex and the others visited John in the hospital repeatedly over the next week. Everyday he seemed to get a little better, talk a little more, but he was still in a lot of pain and on heavy medication so he was often confused or sluggish. Martha and George took turns hovering at the hospital, leaving the boys to fend for themselves. It was lonely at home without them, Alex realized. He stayed up in bed in the early hours of the morning, listening for the familiar sounds of George thumping up the stairs to use the third story bathroom, grunting softly and talking to himself. He missed sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee, comforted by the sounds of Martha cooking and listening to classical music. He missed hearing them talk and laugh and tease one another. He missed hearing them talk and laugh and tease his brothers. 

When John was finally able to come home, he mostly wanted to lay around, but he'd always been good at lying around. Alex kept him company, sitting in the worn desk chair they shared, writing or doing homework while John laid in bed, the two of them talking or listening to music. 

"Do you need anything?" Alex would always ask before leaving the room. At night he would help him limp out onto the balcony and they would smoke weed. Weed helped John with the pain.

John didn't really seem like himself. Of course, he couldn't be the bouncy, carefree kid he normally was with all of his injuries, but he didn't talk as much. He mostly just stared into space quietly, forcing a smile or a chuckle when Alex said something funny. He rolled onto his side, facing the wall, and slept a lot more now. 

One night, Alex woke up to the sounds of John sobbing softly, choking them back and failing to muffle them. Wordlessly, Alex climbed down onto the bottom bunk and curled up against him. John cried into Alex's t-shirt, gripping it with both hands. Alex listened to him cry, but offered no comforting words. He knew they would not help him. 

\-----

"Hey!" Eliza said with forced cheerfulness, entering the bedroom the boys shared the following morning. 

"Hey." Alex smiled and kissed her hello.

"You're not dressed?" Eliza chuckled. "It's almost noon."

Alex shrugged. "I have nothing to do."

"As long as you're alive," Eliza said. "There's always something to do. That's what my father says."

She moved to John, who was watching something on his phone. He looked up as she stroked some of his hair.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hey," he said, forcing a smile.

She helped him to sit up and asked, "Ready?"

John preferred Angelica and Eliza to give him his sponge bath. He said it was too awkward for Martha to do it. Alex helped him out of bed and supported his weight as John limped to the bathroom across the hall, sitting on the kitchen chair they kept in there to make things easier. Alex helped John to remove his shirt and Eliza handed him a towel to keep over his cotton shorts. She started the water in the tub. Alex looked at John, gingerly fingering the bandages over the wounds in his abdomen before carefully removing them. John mouthed 'fuck' and bit his bottom lip as the bandages were removed. 

Alex did not like to see John so black and blue and cut up, but he had a strange fascination with the way Eliza gently cleaned him up with a wet cloth. She was so careful and gentle and would pause every time John hissed in pain. Alex sat on the edge of the tub, watching silently. 

"You'll be better before you know it," Eliza told him, dipping the cloth back into the tub. "Nobody bounces back like you do."

"Ow!" John finally cried out as she very delicately touched one of his stab wounds. 

"I'm sorry!" She cried out. "John-"

John started crying again, loud harsh sobs, doubling over. Alex realized that he was ashamed, covering his face, quickly trying to wipe away his tears. Eliza covered her mouth.

"John," she tried again, but Alex took her hand and squeezed it.

"He's okay," he said. "Give us a minute?"

Eliza nodded. "Of course."

She stepped out and Alex closed and locked the door. John cried and cried into his hands. Alex got to his knees and picked up the cloth, continuing where Eliza left off.

"Baby," he said softly and watched as John smirked slightly through his tears.

"Asshole," John rasped out.

He settled down slightly and Alex carefully avoided the wounds, only dabbing around them. John let out a long, shuddering sigh. 

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"Andre and me," John said slowly, still sounding hoarse. "We were behind this old convenient store we used to hang around. We were kissing. Some guys came by. I went to school with two of them. At first it was just taunts, you know? Stuff I could take."

Alex nodded.

"But you know me, I ain't about to keep my mouth shut so I went off and then they jumped us. Andre ain't a fighter. He actually tried runnin', but they dragged us to their car. They took us to this old house and beat the shit outta us real good. I thought that was the end of it, but one of 'em was screaming 'hold Laurens down! hold 'em down' and I wasn't even about to get up. I was down and out, so one of them climbed on me and..."

He swallowed hard. 

"He took out a knife," he said quietly. "Said my old man shoulda killed my faggot ass when he had the chance and then he stabbed me. Then he stabbed me again."

Alex set the cloth down. He could feel his hands trembling. It was the same surge of indescribable rage he'd felt when he found Eliza with George. 

"Then they got up and left," John said. "I woke up with the paramedics there."

"You wanna put your shirt back on now?" Alex asked.

\--------

John eventually was in high enough spirits to move to the living room sofa. Martha tended to his every need and that section of the wrap around couch was forbidden to any of the other boys. George always came home and stayed with him for a few minutes, talking quietly with him and checking the progress of his healing under the bandages. Hercules and Lafayette tried their best to treat him as normal as possible, pretending to be annoyed that they could no longer sit directly in front of the television. Aaron read to him and brought him food and drinks which were hardly ever allowed on the sofa. 

The Schuyler sisters visited often and Angelica and Eliza cuddled him and fluffed his pillows. Peggy announced that she was going to grow up to be a doctor and told John he was her first real patient to practice on. That made him laugh.

"Girl, I'm scared of your bedside manner," he told her as she checked his wounds one afternoon. 

Alex felt guilty about it, but one afternoon while John dozed on the sofa, the television playing on mute, he took John's phone that was always next to him. He took it up to their room, closing and locking the door and hopped onto John's bed. Sitting cross-legged, he scrolled through old text messages. He found some from Andre. 

'He actually tried runnin', John had said. 

Alex thought a moment, his finger hovering over the screen. He finally began to text.

 _Yo_ , he typed.

 _Hey_ , came the reply.

 _How r u feelin?_ Alex hated how John texted, but this had to be convincing.

_I feel alright. My ribs hurt a little_

Alex waited. He had a feeling Andre wanted to text something else. To his satisfaction, the phone screen lit up seconds later.

_I'm sorry I ran_

Alex froze. John had said he tried running. He didn't say he  _did_ run. 

 _My memory's a little hazy from the blood loss. You ran?_ Okay, maybe he didn't put much thought into making THAT sound like John, but he wanted answers now. He wanted this little shit to talk.

_Yeah, right after they said to put you on the ground. I got scared man. They let me go to hold you remember?_

Alex saw red again. His hands trembled. He felt as if his hands could shatter John's phone into pieces. 

 _Do you know what happened to me?_ He finally typed out.

_Yeah they stabbed you right? Or did they? I saw one of them take out a knife. I ran to get help. I hid for a little bit because one of them followed me outside_

_Can we meet somewhere? Maybe close by? I just want to make sure ur alright_

"Say yes, you fucking prick," Alex muttered darkly. 

_Sure. How about the park? Where we smoked that one time? Before whatshisface came along? lol_

Alex frowned.

_Who?_

_Alex or whatever his name is_

\-------------

Alex quickly got dressed and nearly flew down the stairs. He ran smack into George. 

"Where's the fire?" His father joked dryly. 

"I'm going out," Alex muttered, trying to move past him.

"No, you're not," Martha called from the kitchen. "You boys have a curfew now. Six o'clock. It's five-forty-two."

Alex frowned. "I'm just going to the back yard."

Martha walked out of the kitchen to the staircase. "Then go out the back door."

Alex did so and hopped the fence as soon as he knew she was no longer peeking at him through the kitchen window. He ran to the park without stopping, the cold wind stinging his face. Andre was waiting, leaning against a tree smoking a cigarette. Alex knew it was him even if he'd never seen him before. He just knew. He walked by him a couple of times just to make sure, watching the other boy check his phone, look around, take another drag of his cigarette. He finally approached him and asked, "Andre?"

The boy ground his cigarette out under his shoe. 

"Who's asking?" He asked, sounding tough. 

Alex wasted no time grabbing him by the shirt and slammed him back against the tree.

"Alexander Hamilton," he said. "That's who."

Andre was clearly caught off guard and winced slightly. Alex fought the urge to beat his face in right then and there. 

"John's friend," he said.

"What do you want?" Andre choked out fearfully.

"I want to know why you left John there to die," Alex growled. "Why you fucking left him!"

"They would've done the same thing to me!" Andre said weakly. 

Alex punched him in the face. He wanted to punch him over and over again, but he needed things from this coward. Things he couldn't get if he wasn't conscious. 

"I want you to tell me who these fuckers are," Alex said. "And if you don't give me their names, you're in a lot of trouble."

"I don't know," Andre said quickly. Too quickly. 

Alex inhaled deeply through his nose and punched him again, this time in the ribs. Andre cried out, doubling over.

"Bullshit!" Alex told him. 

Andre gave him three names.

"I didn't know the name of the fourth guy, I swear!" Andre choked out, sobbing. 

Alex squatted down on the balls of his feet to be eye-level with him. He snapped his fingers and Andre obediently looked up. 

"If you ever come around John again," he said dangerously. "I will kill you. And I'm not kidding."

He gave him one more good shove into the tree before standing up and walking away. 

\---------

"You're quiet tonight," Eliza said as Alex laid beside her on her big soft bed, the snow falling lightly outside. 

"Mm?" Alex turned to her. 

"Everything okay?" She asked. 

"I have a busy day tomorrow," Alex said. 

Eliza nodded and snuggled up against him. Alex stroked some of her hair. 

"How's John?" She asked.

"Getting better," he said.

\---------

Alex sneaked out of the house before dawn the following morning. As he got dressed, he watched John sleep, curled up on his side, facing the wall. Alex ducked his head under the top bunk, climbing onto John's bed on his knees. The movement stirred John awake.

"Huh?" He asked sleepily. 

"Hey," Alex told him.

"Hey," John said, his voice foggy with sleep. 

Alex leaned over and kissed him. 

John seemed surprised, but he kissed him back.

\--------

Alex had never been to this part of town, but he was familiar with how it worked. He knew how to find people. He asked around, doling bills out to people who knew where the three names often hung out on a Saturday morning. The first name was William Banks. 

He wasn't a big a guy, it turned out. He was solid, square-shaped, and was hanging around one of the numerous corner stores. Alex approached him. 

"The fuck you lookin' at?" Banks demanded. 

"You know this kid?" Alex showed him a picture of John on his phone. 

"Yeah." Banks grinned. "That's that little gay-ass prick, John Laurens. You tryin' to score shit or somethin'? He ain't dealin', Bro."

"I have a score to settle," Alex said, enunciating every syllable calmly. 

"Say what?" Banks asked, frowning slightly. 

Alex began wailing on him without a second thought. Some bigger guys across the street ran to see what was going on, calling out to Banks by name. One of them grabbed Alex around the waist, throwing him off. Banks scrambled to his feet, spitting out some blood and swore loudly.

"Man, who the fuck is this?" One of the other guys asked. "Who's this kid?"

"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Another asked.

"He askin' about faggot Laurens!" Banks barked. 

"What? This his boyfriend or something?" One of them sneered. 

Two of them high-fived when one of them said, "That little bitch screamed when Banks knifed him? Remember?" 

"Mother fuckers!" Alex growled before lunging again. He got in several good punches, but they were bigger. There were more of them. 

"He's cute, ain't he?" One of them sneered. "Kinda like a girl. Maybe Laurens isn't as gay as we make him out to be."

"Yo check in his pants. Make sure he ain't one of those trannie boys," Another laughed. 

Alex felt his face heat up when one of them actually pulled on the waistband of his pants and underwear while another one held him. 

"Nah, he got a dick."

"You mean Laurens got his dick," another said and they all laughed.

"What should we do with this little queer?" 

Banks grabbed a fist full of Alex's hair, which had come loose from its ponytail. 

"Same thing we did to his gay-ass boyfriend," he said, grinning at Alex. "We ain't got nothin' better to do. Put lil' homie in the car."

Alex struggled the whole way as they half walked half dragged him to a waiting black car. He managed to get free once, but one of them retrieved a pistol and clocked him over the head with it, making him fall on the ground. 

"Get'cher ass in the car!" The pistol whipper barked, yanking him up by the hood of his jacket. "Little shit!"

Alex's knees wobbled as his vision began to blur. He was almost in the car when whoever had him released him and he heard cussing and screaming and running. He fell to the ground, and struggled slightly when hands cupped the side of his face.

"No...!" He slurred. "Get off me!" 

He weakly threw a punch. Whoever had him now was picking him up, one hand under his knees, the other around his back. Alex didn't make it easy for them. He heard more voices and was put into the backseat of a car. He started crying then, feeling helpless and scared and still full of rage. 

\-------

"He's awake!" 

Alex's eyes opened slowly and he saw white. A lot of white. And then he saw Martha right in front of him, stroking his hair and kissing him. 

"Oh, Sweetheart!" She gasped. "Oh, Alex!"

Alex's eyes moved from Martha to George, who cupped his cheek.

"Son," George said softly. 

It took Alex several minutes to realize he was in a hospital room. Lafayette and Hercules were next, giving him gentle hugs. Aaron squeezed his hand at the side of the bed. 

"You are never leaving the house again!" Martha told him. "None of you are! I could barely handle one horrific incident. I can't keep doing this!"

Alex was so confused. Didn't Banks...?

"What happened?" He finally asked. 

"You're an idiot," Aaron told him. "That's what happened. What were you thinking going after those guys?"

Alex tried to sit up, but George gently coaxed him back down. 

"Where are they?" Alex asked, brows furrowing. 

Was he dead? Was this a dream?

"You mean your own guardian angels?" A flat, sarcastic voice said and Alex peeked around George's broad frame to see.

"Thomas?" He rasped out in disbelief. 

Thomas sighed and shrugged as if to say 'That's me'. Beside him was James Madison. 

"Thomas and James saw you on the train and followed you," George said. "They were suspicious. They said  _you_ looked suspicious."

"We lost track of you when you got off," James said. "Thomas had a feeling you were on a stupid mission."

"You followed me?" Alex frowned. "Weirdo."

"Uh, I believe what you're trying to say is, 'Thanks, Thomas. Thanks, James. For saving my life'," Thomas retorted. 

"They really did save your life," George said. "They said those boys were trying to force you into a car."

\---------

Eliza visited Alex once she got the news and sobbed and sobbed as she knelt beside his bed. He stroked her hair.

"Alexander Hamilton!" She said angrily through tears. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," he said.

Eliza stood up and leaned across the bed to kiss him. When she pulled back, she was crying again. Alex used the back of his hand to wipe away some of her tears. 

"I'm sorry you're mad," he said.

"I wish I was mad," She said hotly. 

\---------

John refused to speak to Alex when George and Martha brought him home the next day. They exchanged looks, but John quickly turned away and limped into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water. George pulled Alex into his office for a talk. Alex reluctantly followed him inside.

"I'm not happy," George said when the door was closed. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I couldn't let them..." Alex trailed off, all that rage suddenly draining from him, being replaced with shame. 

"I know you thought you were being heroic," George continued. "But bad things happen to people, Alex. That's life. We move on. If we stay hung up on vengeance, it'll destroy us." 

Alex nodded numbly. 

"You're grounded until further notice," his father continued in a business-like manner. "I want you to go get your phone and bring it to me. You're to come straight home after school. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Alex murmured with a sigh. 

"Good, go get it," George said and Alex walked out of the office.

When he got to his room, John was lying on his bed. 

"I know you're mad at me," Alex told him.

John said nothing.

"I couldn't let-"

"Shut up!" John barked. "Just don't talk to me right now, alright?"

Alex nodded. "Alright."

He took his phone from the charger and returned to George's office, silently handing it to his father. He then went back to his room and stood there, rubbing his arm with his hand. He finally climbed onto the top bunk and stared up at the ceiling. 

\--------

Three days later school started again. Alex was happy to leave the house, but felt like everyone was mad at him, even if they didn't say it. Eliza forgave everyone for all their mistakes before they ever made them, so she wasn't in that crowd. She held his hand as they walked to school together (John was still at home) and was as charming and animated as usual. Alex wondered how someone so caring and loving like her could even exist in such a mean world. 

When he got to Biology class, he slid into the seat next to Thomas without a word. The teacher started immediately, making him breathe a silent sigh of relief that he didn't have to deal with Thomas too right now. After class, Thomas followed him out.

"No, no you don't," he said, grabbing Alex by the back of his jacket. "Think you're gonna walk away from me. I don't think so, you little shit."

"What?" Alex said, annoyed.

"Are you okay?" Thomas asked, sounding equally annoyed.

"I'm alive," Alex said, throwing his arms out sarcastically.

"Did they do anything to you," Thomas asked. "Before Jemmy and I got there?"

"They beat the shit out of me," Alex said.

"That's all they did?"

"Jesus, what are you, my mother?" Alex huffed and walked away. 

He felt bad being so venomous to Thomas, who really had saved his life, but everything was just so mixed up right now. 

\------

 The third bad thing happened at the end of the week. Alex was holed up in his room, silently wondering if he'd ever be able to leave the house ever again, when he heard the doorbell downstairs. He heard George and Martha talking to someone and then his heartbeat sped up. The voice was familiar. it had been a long time since he'd heard it, but he knew who it was.

"James..." he said quietly, climbing down from the top bunk. He opened the bedroom door a crack to listen, to double check.

"I actually hired a private investigator," he heard James say. "I wasn't sure what happened. I had to track down my father. I asked around."

Alex crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs, standing in just the right spot to see whoever George and Martha were talking to without them being able to see him. He was taller than Alex remembered, older looking, but it was definitely his brother. 

"Alex?" Martha turned. She always seemed to sense his presence. "Come here, Love."

Alex continued down the rest of the way, locking eyes with his brother. The two of them stared at one another. 

"Hi, Alex," James said.

Alex had no idea what to say. He glanced at George and Martha, who were smiling. He looked back at his brother.

\------

After they were all seated on the sofa, surrounded by cups of coffee, James explained that he'd only gotten word of their mother's death after the hurricane. He returned home to find Alex, only to learn he'd been shipped off to the states. He'd tracked down their father, who would not give him any information of his whereabouts. 

"So I hired an investigator," James said. "I was finally brought here."

"Well, it's very nice of you to visit," Martha said, pulling Alex against her. "Family is important."

James smiled, looking down for a moment.

"Mrs. Washington," he said carefully. "I'm not here to visit. I'm here to bring Alex home."

"He is home," George said sternly. "You're welcome to see him anytime you like, but his home is here."

"My wife and I live in Florida now," James said. "We have four children. I have my own business. She's a clinical psychiatrist. We can provide for him, and I would really like him with his family."

In Spanish, he said to his younger brother, "I'm sorry I'm late."

"I'm fine where I am," Alex replied in Spanish. It was oddly comforting, despite the situation, to speak in his native tongue. 

"We're his legal guardians," Martha said.

"I am willing to fight that in court," James said. "As I'm next of kin."

"I'm fine," Alex told him in English this time. "And why now?"

All of the anger over John's attack and scaring his family and John's anger toward him...it was bubbling at the surface. 

"You left me with that asshole when I was five! You never cared about me before!"

"I was a kid," James told him calmly. "I was fifteen. Dad was an asshole to me too. I've grown up now and now that I know that Mom is gone, I'm willing to make things right with the only family I have left."

"Why don't we call it a night for right now?" Martha said, standing up. "We just got over a crisis and Alex is very stressed out..."

"What kind of crisis?" James asked his brother, brows furrowing. 

\----------

Alex returned to his room after James left. John was sitting up on his bed, a curious expression on his face. Alex sighed and said, "My brother showed up."

"Shit," John said.

"Shit," Alex replied, nodding. 

He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes," John said. "Why would you do that? None of that had anything to do with you, Alex."

"It had everything to do with me because you're my friend," Alex told him. "It was killing me knowing those assholes were out there somewhere after hurting you."

"I don't need protecting!" John barked. "I'm not a girl, Alex!"

Alex said nothing. He sighed again and sat down next to John.

"I'm sorry," he said finally. "I'm a fucking idiot and I'm sorry."

John managed a half smile. He wriggled his hand under Alex's and Alex squeezed his hand. John squeezed back.

"You are a fucking idiot," he agreed.

 

 

To Be Continued...

 


End file.
